These fortified residences were once common across Ireland, serving as both defensive strongholds and comfortable homes for the Gaelic and Anglo-Norman nobility. The Kilcolman tower house rises four storeys high, its thick limestone walls punctuated by narrow windows that once provided both light and defensive positions for its inhabitants.

What makes this particular tower house fascinating is its clever design features that balanced comfort with security. The structure includes a spiral staircase built into the thickness of the walls, ascending clockwise to give defenders wielding swords an advantage over attackers climbing upward. Each floor served a different purpose; the ground level typically housed storage and livestock, whilst the upper floors contained the main hall and private chambers. Murder holes above the entrance and bartizans projecting from the corners allowed defenders to rain down projectiles on unwelcome visitors.

The tower house remains in relatively good condition despite centuries of weathering and conflict, offering visitors a tangible connection to Ireland’s turbulent past. Its isolated location in the Kerry countryside adds to its atmospheric appeal, surrounded by the rolling hills and farmland that have changed little since the tower’s construction. Though no longer inhabited, the structure continues to dominate the local landscape, a stone sentinel that has witnessed everything from clan warfare to Cromwellian conquest, standing as a testament to the ingenuity and resilience of its medieval builders.