This three-storey limestone tower house, now draped in ivy and showing its age, tells a story spanning centuries of Irish history. Built from roughly coursed rubble, the main structure measures approximately 12.4 by 9.5 metres, with walls nearly two metres thick; testament to the defensive needs of its time. A distinctive six-storey tower rises from the southern corner, complete with spiral stairs that once provided access to all the upper floors.

The castle’s heyday is captured in the Civil Survey of 1654-6, which paints a picture of a thriving estate complete with “castle and Bawne in good repaire”, alongside an orchard, gardens, a working corn mill, six thatched houses and numerous cabins. The proprietor at that time was one Richard Bourke, also known as McWalter, recorded as an “Irish Papist” of some standing. A limestone plaque from 1643, now set into a nearby gable wall, commemorates this same Richard Bourke with a Latin inscription that speaks to the duality of hospitality and defence: essentially welcoming friends whilst warning enemies to keep their distance.

Like many Irish castles, this building’s story didn’t end with its military purpose. During the eighteenth century, enterprising owners converted it into a brewery, drastically altering its medieval character to suit commercial needs. Today, visitors can still trace the bones of the original structure: the ground floor’s barrel vault remains, as do the mural stairs in the northwest wall, whilst a drawbar socket marks where the now-destroyed entrance once stood in the northeast wall. Though time and renovation have claimed most of the original windows and some fireplaces, enough survives to imagine the castle in its various incarnations; from medieval fortress to industrial brewery, each era leaving its mark on these ancient stones.