This defensive structure, with its remarkably thick walls measuring 8 feet 10 inches, was built to withstand siege and assault. The tower’s compact interior, measuring just 15½ feet by 7½ feet, features a spiral staircase tucked into its eastern section, whilst narrow slit windows and large gables complete its defensive architecture. These features mark it as a classic example of the fortified towers that once dotted the Irish landscape during centuries of territorial conflict.

The castle’s recorded history stretches back to at least 1655, when Jordan Roche held the property along with its bawn (a fortified courtyard wall) and twelve small dwellings. Following the political upheavals of the 17th century, the estate was granted to the Duke of York, who later sold it in 1703 to Dr Thomas Smith, Bishop of Limerick. This transfer from military to ecclesiastical ownership reflects the broader changes in Irish society as the country moved from medieval warfare to more settled conditions.

Today, visitors to the site can still trace elements of the castle’s defensive perimeter. The current farmyard boundary wall may incorporate sections of the original bawn wall, or at least follows its historic line; a tangible connection to the castle’s past as a fortified homestead. These details, meticulously recorded by antiquarian Westropp in 1906-07 and compiled more recently by researcher Caimin O’Brien, help preserve the story of this remarkable survival from Ireland’s turbulent past.