The tower house appears on Henry Duke’s detailed perspective map of Dundalk from June 1594, marking it as a significant fortification during the Tudor period. Like many such structures throughout Ireland, this castle served as both a residence and defensive position for local families during centuries of territorial disputes and political upheaval.

The castle met its demise around 1747, when it became one of approximately 18 to 20 small castles and defensive towers ordered to be demolished at the insistence of Lord Limerick. This systematic removal of fortifications was part of a broader campaign across Ireland following the Jacobite risings, aimed at preventing any future rebellions by eliminating potential strongholds. The destruction was so thorough that today, no physical trace remains of Dowdall’s Castle; its memory preserved only through historical documentation and archaeological surveys.

Archaeological research conducted in the 1980s and 1990s, including the Archaeological Inventory and Survey of County Louth, has helped piece together the story of these lost structures. While we cannot walk through Dowdall’s Castle today, its inclusion in Duke’s map suggests it was a tower house typical of the period; a multi-storey stone structure that would have dominated the local landscape. These fortified residences were particularly common in Ireland from the 15th to 17th centuries, built by both Anglo-Norman families and Gaelic Irish chiefs as symbols of power and practical defences in an often turbulent political climate.