This rectangular stone fortress, measuring roughly 8 metres north to south and 7 metres east to west, features a small projection on its southern wall that once housed a garderobe chute. Though time hasn’t been kind to the structure; the southeast corner tower has collapsed, and much of the ground floor lies buried beneath fallen rubble; visitors can still trace the original layout through the central doorway in the east wall and the clever internal passage that leads from the north side entrance to a mural staircase spiralling up through three floors.

The second floor boasts an unusual stone roof constructed from three pointed arches, separated by overlapping stone slabs, though several have tumbled over the centuries. Surrounding the tower, the remnants of a bawn wall create an irregular enclosure approximately 30 metres by 20 metres, with traces of a D-shaped tower at the northwest corner and ruined buildings hugging the southeast corner and eastern wall. A smaller enclosure to the east contains the remains of what appears to be a kitchen building, complete with a bread oven still visible among the stones.

This was once a stronghold of the O’Driscoll clan, one of the powerful maritime families who controlled much of the southwest coast. The castle’s strategic importance became clear during the Nine Years’ War when Crown forces laid siege to it in 1602, forcing its surrender after a brief but decisive assault. Today, these weathered walls offer a glimpse into both the defensive architecture of Gaelic Ireland and the turbulent period when the old clan system finally gave way to English rule.