Built around 1380 by a member of the Clan Richard of Leac Beibhionn, this fortress belonged to the Fitzgeralds, a branch of the powerful Desmond family. The castle once stood connected to the mainland by a natural rock arch spanning a 111-metre-long promontory. When this arch eventually collapsed, it created a 6.4-metre-wide chasm, now filled with fallen rock debris. Whilst a drawbridge likely once provided access across this gap, today visitors must navigate a narrow path to reach the ruins.

What remains of the castle speaks to its former strength and strategic importance. The south wall, the most substantial surviving structure, rises to an impressive height of 10.6 metres with walls 2.4 metres thick; part of what was originally a three-storey tower. A large breach in this wall features an arch overhead, likely the remnants of a window, with traces of another arched window opening visible about 2.5 metres below. Scattered fragments of other walls dot the site, and in the north-northwest sector, a limestone block measuring 2.5 by 0.8 metres contains a splayed, keyhole-shaped opening that probably served as a musket loop for defence.

The castle’s history is marked by conflict and decline. In 1568, John Fitzgerald, son of Garret and heir to Leek, met his death during the siege of Lord Kerry’s castle at Lixnaw. By 1641, the castle lay in ruins, its lands subsequently granted to Trinity College, Dublin. Archaeological investigations have also identified what might be the faint remains of a curving bank across the neck of the headland, possibly evidence of earlier defensive works predating the medieval castle, though too little survives to be certain. Today, these atmospheric ruins offer visitors a glimpse into the turbulent medieval history of North Kerry and the once-mighty Fitzgerald dynasty.