Built by Ralph de Guines, who died in 1280, this fortification occupied a modest square area of about eight metres on each side. Today, visitors will find little more than fragments of walling; a section along the southern edge stands 1.2 metres high, whilst another stretch of masonry is visible on the western side. By 1656, a survey declared the castle “ruinous”, suggesting it had already fallen into significant decay by the mid-17th century.

The site gained a curious footnote in local history through its association with Captain Joseph Capel of nearby Cloghroe House. According to his wishes, Capel’s body lay for a day and night in what became known as “Capel’s Hole”, a brick-arched recess with finely cut and moulded stone stairs located in the southeast corner of the castle’s interior. Writing in 1892, historian Day also described a stone chair facing northwest, positioned towards the centre of the ruins, which he believed may have been used for the enthronement of chieftains in ancient times.

Archaeological surveys conducted in the 1990s found no visible trace of either the stone chair or the brick-lined vault, though dense overgrowth and fallen trees obscure much of the site. The 1842 Ordnance Survey map intriguingly labels the location as “site of Grave Yard”, whilst later maps from 1937 mark both “Capel’s Hole” and identify it as the site of Gynes Castle. Despite its ruinous state, the site remains catalogued in the Archaeological Inventory of County Cork, preserving its place in the medieval landscape of Mid-Cork.