Built by the Barret family, this square keep measures approximately 7.5 metres on each side, with walls nearly two metres thick that taper slightly outward at the base. The three-storey structure, marked as ‘Cloghans Castle’ on both the 1838 and 1930 Ordnance Survey maps, retains much of its original defensive architecture despite centuries of weathering and partial collapse.

The castle’s ground floor reveals clever defensive features typical of Irish tower houses. Entering through a pointed doorway on the southeast wall, visitors would have found themselves in a large chamber with deep window embrasures built into each wall. A low, narrow doorway in the northwest corner leads to what was once a circular gun turret, projecting from the northeast corner of the keep. This three-quarter circle addition, with its corbelled stone roof still largely intact, features a small gun loop that would have allowed defenders to protect the castle’s blind spots. The turret’s walls have partially collapsed, but the remaining stonework shows the quality of medieval Irish military architecture.

The upper floors demonstrate the dual nature of these structures as both fortress and home. Stone corbels indicate where timber floors once divided the interior space, whilst a sophisticated system of mural chambers wound through the thick walls. These passages contained not just the stairs connecting the floors, but also practical amenities like a garderobe, whose well-constructed waste chute can still be seen at ground level on the northwest wall. The second floor retains its stone vaulted ceiling, complete with traces of the original wicker centering used during construction. Today, ivy cloaks much of the exterior walls, and though some quoin stones have been robbed from the corners, the castle remains an impressive reminder of medieval life in Mayo, standing sentinel over the pastoral landscape much as it has for centuries.