Today, visitors to the site would find no visible surface traces of what was once a medieval stronghold. The castle’s existence is largely known through historical documentation rather than physical remains; notably absent from the Down Survey barony maps of 1655-6, its story has been pieced together from later sources.

A rare photograph from 1907 captures the castle in a more substantial state, showing an ivy-covered ruin viewed from the northwest. At that time, the north wall still displayed its defensive base batter and rose to a single storey in height, whilst the western wall stood an impressive two storeys tall. These weathered stone walls represented centuries of local history, though by then they were already showing significant deterioration.

By 1838, the castle had been partially repurposed, with contemporary records describing it as “an old castle (in ruins), with a dwelling house built against the gable end of it”. This practical adaptation was common throughout Ireland, where ancient fortifications often found new life as foundations for more modern homes. The transformation from military fortification to domestic dwelling reflects the changing needs of rural Cork communities as the turbulent medieval period gave way to more settled times.