Built in the late medieval period, this tower house was once home to local Gaelic lords who controlled this strategic position overlooking the surrounding countryside. Like many Irish castles of its type, Shanbally was constructed with thick limestone walls and narrow windows, designed as much for defence as for domestic comfort.

During the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland in the 1650s, the castle suffered the same fate as countless other Irish strongholds; it was attacked, seized, and ultimately destroyed by Parliamentary forces. The systematic destruction of these castles was part of a broader campaign to break the power of the Catholic gentry and redistribute their lands to Protestant settlers. Today, visitors can still see evidence of this violent past in the shattered walls and collapsed sections of masonry that scatter the site.

What remains of Shanbally Castle offers a fascinating glimpse into the architecture and lifestyle of medieval Ireland. The surviving walls show the typical features of a tower house, including the remnants of a spiral staircase, murder holes above the entrance, and the foundations of what would have been living quarters on the upper floors. The site, though overgrown with ivy and brambles in places, remains accessible to those interested in exploring Ireland’s castle heritage, serving as a quiet reminder of the families who once called this fortified home their own.