Historical records from 1574 mention the castle was held by Mac Keggen, likely a member of the local Gaelic nobility who controlled this part of Galway during a turbulent period when traditional Irish lordships were gradually giving way to English colonial administration.

Today, visitors to Cloonlara North will find only subtle traces of this former stronghold. The site consists of a rectangular enclosure measuring roughly 10 metres long by 9 metres wide, marked by a low earthen bank that has been partially incorporated into a later field wall along its northern edge. What appears to be an old causeway extends southward from the enclosure, possibly marking the original approach to the castle grounds.

The sparse remains might disappoint those expecting towering walls and battlements, but they offer an authentic glimpse into how time and agriculture have transformed Ireland’s medieval landscape. The site was documented during archaeological surveys in the 1970s and later included in the Archaeological Inventory of County Galway, ensuring that even these modest remnants contribute to our understanding of Galway’s complex medieval past, when local chiefs like Mac Keggen maintained their authority through a network of fortified residences scattered across the countryside.