The round, four-storey structure was built from roughly coursed limestone rubble and features the characteristic base-batter that was common to tower houses of this period. When surveyed in 1654-6, it was recorded as ‘a castle in repaire’, with Theobald Purcell listed as its proprietor in 1640. The building’s defensive nature is immediately apparent; its thick walls, measuring 3.1 metres at the base, are punctuated with numerous shot-holes and gun loops, whilst the eastern entrance is protected by a pointed doorway with yett-holes, a murder-hole above, and a musket-hole below.

The interior reveals the sophisticated planning typical of late medieval Irish tower houses. A spiral staircase winds upward from the entrance lobby, serving all four floors and various mural chambers tucked within the massive walls. Each level had its specific function; the rough cobbled ground floor likely served for storage, whilst the upper floors provided increasingly comfortable living quarters. The second floor features a central fireplace decorated with rope-twist roll-moulding, and windows progress from simple flat-headed openings on lower levels to elegant ogee-headed lights on the upper floors. Hidden features abound throughout the structure, including garderobe chambers with chutes exiting at the southwest, a secret chamber accessed through a trap-hole in the northeast wall, and multiple murder-holes strategically placed to defend the entrance.

The tower’s defensive capabilities extended to its roofline, where a string course marks the parapet level, complete with machicolations positioned at strategic corners and a wall-walk protected by jutting chimneys. The building’s resilience is evident in its survival through centuries; by the 1840s, though no longer serving its original defensive purpose, the lower portion was still inhabited by a local family. Today, this well-preserved tower house offers visitors a compelling glimpse into the lives of the Anglo-Norman gentry who once controlled this part of Ireland, with its blend of military practicality and domestic comfort telling the story of a turbulent era when homes needed to be fortresses.