Medieval cut limestone blocks with punch dressed surfaces, salvaged from Ballyclare Castle, have been repurposed as building material in this later structure. The original castle site may have stood exactly where the vaulted building now sits, or perhaps somewhere nearby; the precise location has been lost to time.

Ballyclare Castle, known in Irish as Baile an Klar or Baile Clar, was recorded by the historian De Renzy as one of several castles that once defended this stretch of the Brosna River between Gallen and Ballysheil. Like many medieval fortifications across Ireland, the castle likely served as both a defensive structure and a symbol of power for whoever controlled this particular section of the river valley. The waterway would have been an important route for trade and transport, making control of its banks strategically valuable.

Today, visitors to the site can trace the story of centuries of Irish history in these walls; from the carefully dressed medieval limestone that once formed part of a proud castle, to the later brick vaults that speak to changing architectural styles and building practices. The ruins serve as a physical timeline, where medieval and post-medieval Ireland quite literally intersect in the same structure, each era leaving its mark on the landscape of County Offaly.