This modest but historically significant structure began life as a 13th or early 14th century hall-house, its rectangular form measuring roughly 9.6 by 6.9 metres internally. Built from roughly coursed limestone rubble with walls over a metre thick, the original medieval fabric still survives in places, particularly in the northwest wall where a graceful trefoil-headed sandstone window speaks to its early Gothic origins.

The castle’s documented history stretches back to the turn of the 13th century when, according to the Ormond Deeds, Roger de Worcester restored Clare Beg, then known as Clariargala, to his brother Philip sometime between 1199 and 1206. By 1308, the manor was held by service of twenty shillings annually and required attendance at the local court every fortnight. The site witnessed its share of medieval drama; in 1402, court records tell of William Ruagh McMayo and John Mauncell arriving with their followers to seize William Bermingham as a hostage, offering a glimpse into the turbulent politics of medieval Tipperary.

What visitors see today is largely the result of a 17th century transformation, when the medieval hall-house was converted into a fortified house. During this renovation, crude windows were punched through the southeast wall at ground level, and a fireplace was inserted into the northwest wall, unfortunately blocking the earlier Gothic window. The upper floors were added during this period, creating the multi-storey structure whose ruins still stand. While time has claimed the northeast corner of the original building, enough survives to trace the evolution of this modest stronghold from medieval hall to early modern fortified residence, making it a tangible link to over 800 years of Irish history.