First noted in 1839 records as possibly belonging to the Grace family, this tower house appears prominently on the Down Survey maps of 1655–6, where it’s depicted as a substantial structure in the eastern portion of the townland. The accompanying terrier describes it as “a Castle well repaired a strong Bawn and a good mill”, suggesting it was still in good condition during the mid-17th century despite its relatively modest construction, with walls only about three feet thick.

The castle’s history is intertwined with the dissolution of the monasteries and the complex land politics of post-Reformation Ireland. After Henry VIII confiscated the lands from St. John’s Abbey, the Corporation of Kilkenny received Drakeland and subsequently leased it to members of the Rothe family, one of Kilkenny’s most prominent merchant dynasties. By 1628, David Rothe fitz Robert was paying £9 rent for his portion whilst John Rothe fitz Edward paid £3 for his share. The Cromwellian conquest brought an end to Rothe ownership when the lands were forfeited in 1653, marking another chapter in Ireland’s turbulent history of plantation and dispossession.

Time and weather have not been kind to this three-storey tower house, which measures approximately 5.5 metres in width. The structure remained largely intact until around 1880 when the western wall collapsed, followed by further damage during the great storm of 26 February 1903. Today, only the eastern wall and fragments of the other walls remain standing, surrounded by the rubble of what was once a modest but significant defensive residence. Historical photographs from the early 1900s capture the melancholic sight of the partially collapsed tower with great mounds of fallen masonry piled at its base, a poignant reminder of the castle’s gradual surrender to the elements.