Built in the 15th century, the tower occupies high ground overlooking the River Maigue and the village of Bruree, whose name translates as ‘abode of kings’. Though local tradition claims it was erected by the Knights Templars in the 12th century, this romantic attribution has long been dismissed by historians; the tower is actually a fine example of an Irish Gothic tower house, specifically classified as a Type 5 with its unique rectangular floor plan.

The tower measures 7.5 metres north to south and 9.8 metres east to west, with walls over 1.6 metres thick. Originally five storeys high and about 21 metres tall, it features two main vaults; one rounded and wicker-centred over the third floor, whilst the upper vault has completely collapsed. A spiral staircase winds up through the northeastern corner, once secured by three drawbars whose sockets still survive. Each floor was lit by narrow windows with splayed embrasures, and the ground floor entrance, with its pointed arch surround, is now blocked up. The northeastern corner has fallen away, exposing the tower’s internal structure and revealing the stone corbels that once supported wooden floors.

Historical records paint a vivid picture of the tower’s ecclesiastical connections. In 1700, Lewis Prytherch, Vicar of Bruree, described it as ‘a large tall old castle’ belonging to the Dean of Limerick, with five acres of glebe land attached to it. The tower appears on the 17th century Down Survey map alongside the medieval parish church’s glebe lands, distinct from the earlier 13th century Anglo-Norman castle of Bruree shown to the northwest. By 1896, visitors could still see the stone sockets where doors once turned, and a vaulted roof remained uninjured on the third storey. Today, ivy masks much of the exterior, but the tower remains a striking reminder of medieval ecclesiastical power in this ancient parish.