Historical records from 1655 describe the site as comprising a castle, bawn, stone house, orchard, and two mills; a substantial estate that once belonged to James Leo. The property’s fortunes shifted dramatically during the Cromwellian period, when it was recorded in the Civil Survey of 1654-56 as belonging to Edmund Leo of Tullovyne, identified as an Irish Papist. This designation would prove significant, as Catholic landowners faced widespread dispossession during this era.

The estate’s transition from Irish Catholic to Protestant ownership exemplifies the broader patterns of land confiscation that reshaped Ireland following the Cromwellian conquest. By 1666, the property had been granted to Charles Ormsby under the Act of Settlement, marking the formal transfer of ownership away from the Leo family. This change wasn’t merely administrative; it represented the systematic redistribution of land that saw ancient Irish estates pass into new hands, fundamentally altering the social and economic landscape of rural Limerick.

Today, the site retains several notable features beyond the castle ruins themselves. Archaeological surveys have identified a Sheela-na-gig, one of those enigmatic stone carvings of female figures found throughout Ireland, adding another layer of historical intrigue to the location. The presence of the bawn, a defensive wall that would have enclosed the castle complex, along with mentions of the mills and orchard, paint a picture of what was once a thriving and self-sufficient estate. These remnants offer visitors a tangible connection to both the medieval and early modern periods of Irish history, preserved in the Limerick countryside.