Built from roughly coursed rubble with well-cut quoins and a distinctive base batter, this fortification measures approximately 10.75 metres north to south and 8.75 metres east to west. The Civil Survey of 1654-6 recorded it as ‘a good Castle’ under the ownership of Theobald Butler of Ardmayle, an Irish Catholic gentleman, though local lore suggests Oliver Cromwell attacked the castle and hanged its proprietor after taking possession. Just 100 metres to the west lie Ardmayle church and graveyard, placing this stronghold at the heart of what was clearly an important medieval settlement.

The tower’s defensive features reveal the careful thought that went into its construction. Entry was gained through a doorway in the north wall, leading to a small lobby area complete with a murder hole overhead; an ominous welcome for any unwanted visitors. A spiral staircase winds upward through the western wall, featuring an ingenious security system near its top: opposing draw-bar holes and a recess that once housed some form of gate or yett to block access to the upper floors. The stairs also contain a deliberately cut peep-hole that allowed defenders to observe anyone ascending, accessible from a wall cupboard on the first floor. Such paranoid architectural details speak volumes about the dangerous times in which the castle’s inhabitants lived.

Inside, the tower house was surprisingly well-appointed for its occupants’ comfort. The ground floor chamber, now deeper than its original level, was lit by four flat-headed windows with splayed embrasures. As you ascend, each floor reveals its own character: the first floor contained four wall cupboards and a garderobe chamber that dog-legs into the south wall, whilst the second floor is crowned by a pointed vault. The third floor, though now partly ruined and overgrown with ivy, once featured an ogee-headed window and led to an even more complex arrangement of chambers, including a garderobe with multiple loops for light and ventilation, and rather grimly, an oubliette; a narrow chamber measuring just 1.45 metres high and 0.72 metres wide, accessed via trapdoor, with only a small air vent to the outside world.