The site combines the remnants of a late medieval tower house with an extensive 18th and 19th century mansion, creating a complex that tells the story of Ireland’s changing architectural tastes and turbulent history. The castle’s rambling, castellated design evolved through multiple building phases, beginning with work by architect Davis Duckart in the 1700s, before being transformed into a neo-Gothic castle complete with the romantic baronial features popular in Victorian Ireland; mullioned windows, bay windows and decorative battlements.

The most intriguing part of the structure lies in its basement, where the bones of the original medieval tower house still stand. This rectangular tower, measuring approximately 6.85 metres north to south and 4.4 metres east to west, was likely built by the Fitzgerald family and known locally as Carrig Cotta. While later renovations saw the tower’s openings modified to accommodate wooden doors and windows, evidence of its medieval origins persists in the form of a blocked doorway with a pointed arch, still visible on what is now an internal wall within the basement. The clever incorporation of these ancient walls into the later mansion speaks to a practical approach to building that was common among Ireland’s landed families.

The Longfield family, who built the Georgian and Victorian additions to create the house we see today, occupied Castle Mary until it met the fate of so many Irish country houses during the War of Independence. Burnt in 1920, the castle now stands as an overgrown ruin, its various architectural layers exposed to reveal centuries of Irish history written in stone and mortar. The site’s position, taking advantage of the natural break in the ground slope to create that unusual basement level on the north side, demonstrates how builders throughout the ages have worked with Cork’s dramatic landscape to create both defensive structures and comfortable homes.