While little remains of the original fortification today, historical records suggest this was likely a tower house, a type of small fortress favoured by Gaelic and Anglo-Norman families from the 14th to 17th centuries. These compact stone strongholds served both as family residences and defensive positions, typically featuring thick walls, narrow windows, and multiple storeys accessed by spiral staircases.

The castle’s location in Kilkee Upper would have provided strategic advantages for monitoring the surrounding countryside and nearby coast. During the medieval period, such fortifications were essential for local lords who needed to protect their lands, cattle, and tenants from raids by rival clans or opportunistic pirates. The area around Kilkee was historically controlled by various septs of the O’Brien clan, though ownership of individual castles often changed hands through marriage alliances, military conquest, or political manoeuvring during the turbulent centuries before English rule was fully established.

Archaeological surveys of the site reveal foundation stones and earthworks that hint at the castle’s original footprint, though centuries of stone robbing for local building projects have taken their toll. Like many Irish castle sites, this location serves as a tangible reminder of a time when power was measured in stone walls and strategic positioning; when every prominent family needed a defensible home to weather the uncertainties of clan warfare, English expansion, and the ever-shifting allegiances of medieval Irish politics.