Built by the St Leger family, this fortification later changed hands to the Butler family before eventually coming into the possession of the Bests. Though the original structure has long since vanished, its probable location was near the farm buildings approximately 200 metres west of the local church, where significant quantities of stone were removed and transported to the nearby Larchfield estate around the early 2000s.

The castle’s island setting in the Barrow would have provided natural defensive advantages, a common strategic choice for medieval and early modern fortifications in County Carlow. The progression of ownership from the St Legers to the Butlers, two prominent Anglo-Norman families in the region, reflects the complex political and social networks that characterised landownership in post-medieval Ireland. The Butlers, particularly influential throughout the southeast, held numerous properties across Carlow and the surrounding counties.

Today, any walls visible at the site date from a later period than the original castle, serving as a reminder of how these historic sites have been continuously reused and reimagined over the centuries. The removal of stone for reuse at Larchfield estate exemplifies a common practice in Irish rural history, where older structures became quarries for newer building projects, gradually erasing the physical presence of castles that once dominated the landscape.