Built sometime during the 15th or 16th century, the structure served as a fortified residence for a local noble family, most likely a branch of the O’Briens who dominated much of Clare during this period. The tower house design was particularly popular amongst the Gaelic and Anglo-Norman aristocracy of the time, offering both defensive capabilities and comfortable living quarters in an era when clan conflicts and cattle raids were commonplace.

The castle’s construction follows the typical pattern of Irish tower houses, with thick limestone walls tapering as they rise, narrow defensive windows on the lower levels, and larger openings higher up where attackers’ arrows couldn’t reach. Inside, the building would have contained several floors connected by a spiral staircase built into the walls; the ground floor typically housed storage and sometimes livestock, whilst the upper floors contained the main hall, private chambers, and a chapel. The surrounding landscape would have been quite different in medieval times, with the castle controlling important routes and agricultural lands that sustained its inhabitants.

Today, the castle stands as a monument to a vanished way of life, when local lords ruled from these stone towers scattered across the Irish countryside. Though roofless and partially ruined, the remaining walls give visitors a tangible connection to the complex social and political world of Gaelic Ireland before the plantations and conquests of the 17th century transformed the landscape forever. Its remote location in rural Clare means it receives few visitors, making it an atmospheric spot for those interested in exploring Ireland’s lesser-known medieval heritage.