Historical records trace this fortification from 1487 through to 1617, spanning a turbulent period when Gaelic lords like the Mac Dermots maintained their power through a combination of military might and political manoeuvring. The castle complex represents the typical Irish response to changing warfare tactics during this era, when traditional tower houses were increasingly supplemented with additional defensive features.

The site’s most distinctive feature is its triangular bawn, an enclosed courtyard that provided both defence and space for livestock during raids. This unusual triangular layout measures approximately 77 metres from north to south, narrowing from about 30 metres wide at its southern end to just 10 metres at the northern point where the main castle structure once stood. The bawn walls, though now largely reduced to foundations, can still be traced through remnants including a section of eastern wall measuring one metre thick and three metres long, and a substantial grass-covered stone spread along the southern boundary that extends for 23 metres.

At the western corner of the southern wall, visitors can identify the base of what was once a circular tower, its interior diameter of two metres suggesting it served as a flanking position to defend the bawn’s most vulnerable approach. The surviving masonry wall of this tower, standing just 30 centimetres high with a thickness of 1.6 metres, hints at the substantial nature of the original fortifications. These architectural remains, compiled and documented by Michael Moore in August 2010, provide tangible evidence of how the Mac Dermots adapted their stronghold to meet the challenges of their time, creating a defensive complex that served the family for over a century.