What remains today is a substantial medieval wall, standing seven to eight metres high and supported by buttresses, which now forms the main entrance to an 18th-century Georgian house. The wall features a tall archway with an elliptical head made from cut stone voussoirs, whilst two long window openings above show signs of either damage or later modification. These remnants give credence to an 1826 description that noted how the ruins “give strong indications of its former consequence, when it was the residence of the ancient family of the Bourkes of Drumkeen.”

The castle’s history can be traced back to 1250, when John Pincerna, also known as Butler, granted the lands of Dronchyn to augment a prebend. Throughout the medieval period, the property changed hands several times through various disputes and inheritances. The de Burghs, later known as the Bourkes, are believed to have settled here in the first half of the 15th century. They were descendants of John Bourke of Shrule and his wife Sabia, daughter of Conor O’Brien, Prince of Thomond. The family maintained their connection to Dromkeen for centuries; in 1717, Reverend Richard Burg repaired the local church and monument, declaring it “the burial place of his family from time immemorial.”

By the early 18th century, the medieval castle had given way to Dromkeen House, a handsome Georgian residence built around 1730. Described as a detached double-pile five-bay two-storey house over a half-basement, with later extensions to the rear, the house incorporated the medieval ruins into its grounds. The juxtaposition of the ancient stone wall with the refined Georgian architecture creates a unique architectural ensemble that speaks to centuries of continuous occupation and adaptation of this historic site.