The site offers commanding views to the north, east and south; a strategic position that would have been carefully chosen by its original builders. According to the Civil Survey conducted between 1654 and 1656, the castle at ‘Brenshigh’ was already in ruins by 1640, when it belonged to James oge Butler Esquire, described in the records as an ‘Irish Papist’.

The castle ruins sit within what appears to be a square defensive enclosure, or bawn, measuring approximately 37 metres on each side. This protective wall system, now visible mainly as an earthen scarp about 40 centimetres high and 5 metres wide, would have once provided security for both the castle and its associated buildings. The western section of this defensive perimeter can still be traced about 13 metres from the castle’s surviving western wall, where it turns northward.

Archaeological surveys have identified the northern side of the enclosure and its northeastern corner, though the eastern boundary has proven more elusive to modern researchers. These bawns were typical features of plantation-era castles in Ireland, serving as fortified courtyards that could shelter livestock during raids and provide a first line of defence against attack. The site at Breansha More stands as a tangible reminder of the turbulent period when landowners like James Butler navigated the complex political and religious landscape of early modern Ireland.