Built downstream from a nunnery established by Walter de Ridlesford around 1200, the castle once stood as part of a larger religious and defensive complex in this quiet corner of the Irish countryside. By 1783, the castle had already been reduced to rubble, its stones systematically harvested by locals who recognised good building material when they saw it.

The exact location of the castle remains something of a mystery. While it’s known to have been situated near the nunnery, historians debate whether it stood on the north side of the river in Graney West townland or on the south side in Coltstown townland. This uncertainty adds an element of intrigue to the site, where visitors today will find little more than grassy fields where the fortress once stood.

Despite the castle’s disappearance, fragments of its past survive in unexpected places. The nearby mill contains three pieces of decorative mouldings that likely came from either the castle or the nunnery, offering tangible links to the medieval craftsmanship that once graced these buildings. These architectural remnants serve as quiet reminders of the site’s former importance, when religious life and military defence shaped the landscape of medieval Kildare.