Historical records and early Ordnance Survey maps from 1837 show that a rectangular castle once stood here, oriented northwest to southeast, with what appears to have been a defensive bawn; a fortified enclosure typical of Irish castles from the plantation period. The castle sat in the northern corner of this rectangular enclosure, with another smaller enclosure extending from the southern end of its western wall, suggesting a complex of interconnected defensive structures that would have dominated the surrounding pastureland.

Whilst no surface remains of the castle were visible by 1978, the landscape still holds clues to its former grandeur. Earthworks to the north of the castle site reveal what archaeologists believe to be the remnants of an associated field system, showing how the castle was integrated into the agricultural life of the area. Perhaps most intriguingly, a sunken way defined by two parallel banks runs northeast from where the castle and bawn once stood; likely the remains of a medieval roadway that would have served as the main approach to the fortress. This ancient route is still clearly visible on modern aerial photographs, carved into the landscape like a ghost path from centuries past.

Today, visitors to the site won’t find towering walls or dramatic ruins, but rather subtle undulations in the earth that hint at the substantial structures that once stood here. The combination of defensive architecture, agricultural earthworks, and transportation infrastructure paints a picture of Dundonnell Castle as a significant medieval settlement, one that played an important role in the local landscape before time and circumstance reduced it to these enigmatic traces in the Westmeath countryside.