This tower house, with its attached dwelling, appears on 17th century maps including the Down Survey of Clanwilliam Barony and parish records held in the National Library of Ireland. The Civil Survey of 1654-56 paints a vivid picture of the estate, recording not just the castle and its protective bawn, but also a mill seat and, intriguingly, a marble quarry on the property.

The castle’s documented history stretches back to the late 13th century, when it appears in legal records as ‘Catherelny’ in a 1283 suit involving J. de Norragh. By 1323, the site included Milltown watermill, with Almeric de Bellofago and T. f. Rhys laying claim to it. The O’Heyne family emerged as the dominant landowners by the late 16th century; Tadeus O’Heyne died in 1599 whilst in possession of the castle, passing it to his son Conor and eventually to his grandson Donat, who entailed the castle, hall, bawn and village in 1622. Though the property was confirmed to Sir William King in 1667 following the Cromwellian settlement, the O’Heynes maintained their connection to Caherelly West well into the 18th century.

A fascinating social snapshot from 1748 reveals that the Hynes of Cahirelly and the Clanchys of nearby Ballyvorneen were notable as the only gentry between Ballinaguard and O’Brien’s Bridge who weren’t members of the influential Burke family. This detail speaks to the complex web of land ownership and family power that characterised County Limerick’s social landscape, where ancient Gaelic families like the O’Heynes persisted alongside Norman and later English settlers for centuries.