Built around the mid-1500s by Richard MacSheonin, the structure was cleverly constructed at the western end of an earlier medieval church, incorporating the original building into its ground floor design. The tower’s construction tells a story of practicality and adaptation; whilst the ground floor repurposed the existing church stonework, the upper floors display more refined, evenly coursed masonry that speaks to the builder’s ambitions for a proper fortified residence.

The tower’s interior layout reveals the typical defensive considerations of its era. Visitors entering through the eastern doorway, now somewhat damaged by time, would find themselves in a ground floor chamber measuring roughly 5.8 metres north to south and 2.9 metres east to west. This space, lit by narrow defensive windows and topped with a vaulted ceiling, contains a square opening measuring 0.7 metres on each side that provided the only access to the first floor; a common security feature that meant any unwelcome visitors could be easily repelled from above. The first floor, featuring small arched windows and corbels on both the eastern and western walls, was likely the main living space for the tower’s inhabitants.

A mural staircase built into the northern wall connects the first floor to what remains of the second storey, though centuries of exposure have taken their toll on the uppermost level. The tower’s design, with its combination of defensive features and domestic spaces, represents a common response to the turbulent politics of 16th-century Ireland, when local lords needed fortified homes that could withstand raids whilst still serving as symbols of their status and power. Today, this weathered monument stands as a tangible link to the complex medieval and early modern history of County Mayo.