The four-storey limestone structure, measuring 12.7 metres north to south and 10.4 metres east to west, features distinctive two-storey turret blocks along its northern and southern walls. Built from roughly coursed cut limestone with dressed quoins and a pronounced base batter, the castle’s main entrance lies at the northern end of its eastern face; a pointed doorway protected by both an external machicolation supported on finely carved corbels and an internal murder hole positioned above the entrance lobby.

The castle’s defensive architecture reveals itself through its intricate internal layout. A mural staircase winds through the eastern wall from the ground floor, transitioning to a spiral stairway at the southeast corner that provides access to the upper levels. Each floor served distinct purposes, with the lower levels supported by wooden floors on corbelled wall plates, whilst the third floor rests on a barrel vault. The living quarters feature numerous amenities including wall cupboards throughout, garderobe chambers with chutes exiting at ground level, and fireplaces for warmth. Particularly striking are the third-floor hall’s ornate windows; cusped, ogee-headed two-light openings in the north and east walls with external hood mouldings, alongside single lights in the south and west walls. Above these window embrasures, decorative blind arcading adds an unexpected touch of elegance, with two arches on the south wall and three on the north, all supported by well-cut corbels.

Historical records trace the castle’s ownership through centuries of Irish history. Maurice English served as County juror for Ballindoney in 1551 and 1561, whilst the Civil Survey of 1654-6 records that by 1640, the castle walls belonged to Richard Butler of Kilkash, described as an ‘Irish Papist’. The structure’s sophisticated defensive features, including an oubliette accessed only from a third-floor window embrasure, spy holes overlooking the stairs, and the elaborate system of mural chambers and passages, speak to both the wealth and security concerns of its inhabitants. Despite centuries of weathering, substantial original plasterwork survives on the second floor’s vaulted ceiling and northern wall, whilst traces of the original slate roof and crow-stepped parapets remain visible, offering tantalising glimpses of the castle’s former grandeur.