According to research by Risteárd Ua Cróinín and Martin Breen, this tower house represents the type of defensive dwelling that proliferated across Clare during the 15th and 16th centuries, when local chieftains and landowners needed fortified residences to protect their families and assert their territorial claims. Though the structure has suffered considerably over the centuries, enough remains to piece together its original form and purpose.

The tower house follows the typical design of its era; a rectangular stone structure rising several storeys, with thick walls designed to withstand both siege and the harsh Atlantic weather. Archaeological evidence suggests it likely featured the standard defensive elements of the period, including narrow window loops for archers, a vaulted ground floor for storage, and upper chambers that would have served as living quarters for the castle’s inhabitants. The location itself would have been carefully chosen, offering strategic views across the surrounding landscape whilst remaining accessible to the agricultural lands that sustained its occupants.

What makes Ballyasheea particularly interesting is its place within the broader network of Clare’s tower houses, which numbered in the hundreds during their heyday. These structures tell the story of a turbulent period in Irish history, when control of land frequently changed hands between Gaelic clans and Anglo-Norman families, and when a fortified home was essential for survival. Today, whilst the castle may appear as little more than a romantic ruin to passing visitors, it remains an important piece of the archaeological puzzle that helps historians understand how people lived, defended themselves, and organised their communities in medieval Clare.