The castle was once the seat of Edward Hussey, who according to the Civil Survey of 1654-6, owned 418 acres here in 1640. His estate was quite substantial, comprising not just the castle itself but also a house, a mill and seven cottages; a small community that would have bustled with the daily activities of farming and estate management. Hussey’s holdings extended beyond Mulhussey to include lands at Pagistowne and Hardrestowne in nearby Kilclone parish, marking him as a significant landowner in the area.

Today, visitors can still trace the outline of what was likely a tower house, measuring approximately 13 metres north to south and 9.4 metres east to west. The most impressive surviving feature is the southwest corner, which stands about three metres high and displays the characteristic base-batter and carefully dressed quoin stones typical of defensive architecture from this period. Look closely at the south wall and you’ll spot a draw-bar socket, evidence of a doorway that once secured the castle’s inhabitants. The east gable of a later eighteenth or nineteenth century house was built directly on the line of the castle’s original west wall, showing how subsequent generations repurposed these ancient foundations.

About 170 metres to the west stands Mulhussey church, which likely served as the Husseys’ private estate chapel. This close proximity between castle and church was a common arrangement among the landed gentry, allowing the family convenient access to religious services whilst maintaining their status through patronage of the church. The relationship between these two structures provides a glimpse into how power, land ownership and religious practice were intertwined in early modern Ireland.