According to the Archaeological Inventory of County Cork, this structure incorporates what may be the remains of a 17th-century building, though conclusive evidence remains elusive. The current owner maintains that the earliest core of the house dates to the 1640s, comprising a modest space measuring 7.3 by 5.8 metres with walls nearly a metre thick; typical dimensions for a fortified dwelling of that period. The interior walls feature period panelling from the 17th and 18th centuries, lending some credence to the early dating.

The house evolved through several phases of construction, with a two-storey northwestern extension allegedly added in the 1670s, followed by a more substantial southeastern expansion in the 1780s that created the present entrance front. This later addition cleverly repositioned the main entrance at a right angle to the original structure, a common Georgian architectural practice that modernised older buildings whilst preserving their historic cores. Despite being classified as an unclassified castle in archaeological records, investigators found no visible evidence of typical castle features during their survey, suggesting the building may have been a fortified house rather than a true castle.

Local folklore adds another layer to Assolas’s story, with tales of monks using the farm buildings and references to a supposed “monk’s peep hole”. However, archaeological assessment dates these outbuildings firmly to the 18th and 19th centuries, well after the dissolution of Ireland’s monasteries, and no such viewing aperture could be located during inspection. These romantic notions, whilst charming, appear to be later embellishments to the site’s genuine historical narrative, reminding us how oral traditions often blur the line between fact and fiction in Ireland’s rich tapestry of local history.