The castle’s history reflects the changing fortunes of Irish land ownership; originally held by the Shane family in 1583, it passed to William Carter through a grant in 1591, then to Sir William Parsons in 1624. The following year, Edmund FitzGerald died in possession of the castle, which his son William inherited and held until at least 1655. Local tradition maintains it was a FitzGerald tower, though the documentary evidence suggests a more complex pattern of ownership.

The structure itself is a tall peel tower measuring approximately 9.2 metres by 7.8 metres, built from well-cut limestone that speaks to the quality of its original construction. Today, the southwest corner still reaches its full four-storey height, whilst the opposite side containing the doorway has been levelled over time. The tower originally featured two vaulted chambers and an upper room, with the lowest level incorporating defensive gunloops; one particularly clever example opens off the embrasure of a loop in the west wall. The entrance led to a flight of steps connecting to a spiral staircase tucked into the northwest corner, a typical defensive arrangement that forced attackers to expose their unshielded right side whilst ascending.

Architectural historians have classified Bolane as a Type 5 tower house, characterised by its unique rectangular floor plan whilst still maintaining the distinctive features of Irish Gothic defensive architecture. The surviving masonry reveals the usual period details: ambreys for storage, angle-slits for defence and ventilation, and a slight turret at battlement level. Though much of the east wall has fallen away, taking with it the small chambers it once contained, what remains offers a compelling glimpse into the sophisticated defensive domestic architecture of medieval Ireland, perched on its rocky outcrop with commanding views north into County Clare.