What survives of this rectangular tower tells a story of both ambition and decay; the lower section of the western wall still stands with short returns at either end, whilst part of a corner turret projects from the northern end. The most striking architectural feature that remains is a pointed stone doorway arch in the western wall, crafted in two orders with carefully chamfered edges, a testament to the skill of its 17th-century builders.

According to local historian Coleman, writing in 1907, the castle was built by Daniel MacCarthy in 1616, during a period when many Irish lords were constructing fortified houses to assert their status and protect their territories. A photograph from around 1907 shows the castle in a remarkably different state; though heavily covered in ivy, it then stood to at least two storeys high. The dramatic deterioration over the past century transforms what was once a substantial defensive structure into these atmospheric ruins.

The site has seen some intervention over the years, with retaining walls to the south and a short wall on the southern side of the turret appearing to be more recent additions, possibly part of repairs noted by O’Donoghue in 1914. The castle’s original dimensions can still be traced in the rubble; it measured approximately 13 metres east to west and 8 metres north to south, whilst the surviving turret interior spans 2.9 metres. These measurements hint at what would have been a formidable tower house, commanding views across the river valley below.