In 1583, the castle was recorded as being in the possession of James Browne and described as “well repaired” with an impressive iron door; a clear sign of both wealth and the need for security. The property boasted a bawn (a fortified courtyard wall), a dovecote for keeping pigeons, and various other buildings that would have supported daily life at the castle. Just six years later, in 1589, ownership had shifted when the castle was granted to Robert Anstey, reflecting the changing political landscape of Tudor Ireland.

The Down Survey map of St Michaels and St Nicholas parish provides us with a glimpse of what remained of the structure in the mid-17th century, depicting it as a two-storey house with a distinctive gable-ended chimney stack. The accompanying terrier notes that “there Standes a Castle with an orchard on North Ratehurd”, suggesting that despite any damage or decay, the site maintained some of its domestic character with productive gardens. This combination of defensive architecture and agricultural features was typical of Irish tower houses and their associated lands during this period.

Today, the exact location of the bawn wall remains elusive to archaeologists and historians, though it’s likely that the current farmyard occupies the same footprint where the protective walls once stood. The dovecote, recorded as a separate archaeological feature, would have been an important source of meat and eggs for the castle’s inhabitants, as well as a status symbol; only those with sufficient land rights were permitted to keep doves in medieval and early modern Ireland. These remnants of Rathurd Castle offer a window into the lives of the Anglo-Irish gentry who sought to establish themselves in Limerick during a period of conquest, rebellion, and cultural transformation.