This small tower house, likely built in the 15th or 16th century, represents the typical fortified dwellings that once dotted the Irish countryside. Though now reduced to ruins, its remaining walls offer a glimpse into the lives of the minor gentry who once called such structures home. The castle’s name derives from the Irish ‘Cathair’, meaning stone fort, combined with the Murphy family name; suggesting it may have been built on the site of an earlier ringfort, a common practice in medieval Ireland.

The castle’s design follows the standard pattern of Irish tower houses of its era: a rectangular stone structure originally standing three or four storeys high, with thick walls designed to withstand both the Atlantic weather and potential attacks. What remains today shows evidence of a vaulted ground floor, which would have served as storage, whilst the upper floors housed the family’s living quarters. The narrow windows, or loops, still visible in the walls served dual purposes; providing light whilst maintaining defensive capabilities. Like many such towers, Cahermurphy would have been surrounded by a bawn, a defensive wall enclosing outbuildings and livestock, though little trace of this remains.

Today, Cahermurphy Castle sits quietly in the Clare countryside, largely overlooked by tourists heading to more famous sites. Its stones tell the story of centuries of Irish history; from medieval clan warfare through Cromwellian conquest to eventual abandonment as more comfortable, less defensive homes became the fashion. For those willing to seek it out, the castle offers an authentic, uncommercialized encounter with Ireland’s built heritage, where visitors can run their hands along the same stone walls that sheltered families through centuries of Irish winters and imagine the bustling life that once filled these now silent rooms.