The castle’s history can be traced back to at least the mid-17th century, when historical records show the land belonged to Thomas, Lord Baron of Cahyr, described as an ‘Irish Papist’ in the documentation of the time. Even then, the structure was already noted as ‘the stump of a Castle’, suggesting it had seen better days well before the 1600s.

What remains today is a modest tower house built from rubble limestone and sandstone, with walls two metres thick; a typical defensive feature of Irish castles. The structure originally measured about 9.8 metres north to south internally, though only the eastern wall, standing roughly 13.7 metres long, and portions of the northern and southern walls survive to first-floor height. The northeastern angle still shows evidence of a base-batter, the sloped foundation that helped deflect projectiles and strengthen the structure against undermining during sieges.

Later additions tell their own story of the castle’s decline from fortress to farm building. A lean-to shed has been constructed against the eastern side, its concrete divisions and missing doors speaking to its utilitarian agricultural use. Inside the castle proper, a single carved corbel stone projects from the wall, its diagonal tool marks still visible; this elegant survivor once supported wooden floor joists for the upper levels. A small window in the northern wall appears to be a later insertion, its crude limestone surrounds and bar-holes suggesting it was added long after the castle’s military importance had faded, perhaps when the building found new life as part of the working farm that eventually fell to ruin itself.