Built by the powerful Clanrickard Burkes, the rectangular five-storey tower measures approximately 12 metres in length and 9.75 metres in width. Just 175 metres southeast of Claregalway Friary and adjacent to the modern bridge, the castle’s location was strategically chosen to control this important river crossing. The original entrance, a pointed arch doorway near the northern end of the southeast wall, still bears the vertical grooves that once housed a portcullis; a formidable iron gate that could be dropped to seal off the entrance in times of danger.

The interior reveals the sophisticated planning typical of Irish tower houses, with a small entrance lobby leading to a guardroom on one side and a spiral staircase on the other. A stone vault between the second and third floors provided both structural support and fire protection, whilst the walls themselves contain an intricate network of mural passages and chambers that served various defensive and domestic purposes. The tower’s defensive features include machicolations supported by projecting corbels at parapet level, allowing defenders to drop missiles on attackers below, whilst garderobes on the second and third floors provided essential sanitation facilities for the castle’s inhabitants.

The variety of window styles throughout the tower tells a story of changing architectural fashions and functional needs. From narrow rectangular windows with flat heads to more ornate single and double lights with ogee heads, including one particularly fine example with transom and mullion, these openings balanced the need for light with defensive considerations. A circular window and a cross loop add to this architectural diversity, whilst practical features like slop-stones beneath some windows dealt with waste disposal. Evidence of comfortable living quarters remains in the form of fireplaces in the southwest wall on the first floor and northeast wall on the second floor, reminding us that this fortress was also a home to one of Connacht’s most influential families.