This three-storey limestone tower house, measuring roughly 10.75 metres east to west and 8.2 metres north to south, was built by the MacCoughlan family in the early 16th century. The tower’s defensive features are still visible today, including the murder hole above the western entrance door and the spiral staircase tucked into the southwest corner that provides access to all the main chambers. The ground floor’s vaulted chamber is entered through a two-centred pointed doorway with finely dressed jambs, whilst the first floor contains a garderobe chamber in the northeast angle and an intramural chamber within the western wall.

The castle’s history reflects the changing fortunes of Irish landholding over the centuries. First mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters in 1519 as a MacCoughlan stronghold, it passed to Matthew De Renzi during the 17th-century plantation of Delvin MacCoughlan. By the early to mid-19th century, Edmond Maloney had acquired the property and set about transforming the medieval fortress into a more comfortable residence. His renovations included enlarging the narrow medieval windows and possibly constructing the inner and outer bawn walls that now surround the structure. The inner bawn, with its crenellated walls and brick infill, appears to date from the mid-19th century, whilst the outer bawn has been rebuilt in various places during the same period. Interestingly, Petrie’s 19th-century drawing doesn’t depict the bawn wall, suggesting these additions came later in the century.

Archaeological investigations carried out in 2003 and 2004 have revealed fascinating details about the castle’s construction and evolution. Excavations uncovered the original medieval clay floor surface at ground level, buried beneath 19th-century rubble fill, and confirmed that much of the original vault fill on the second floor remains intact beneath later modifications. The work also revealed evidence of 19th-century improvements, including slate cladding applied to protect the wall walk from weathering and the installation of floor joists set into shallow shafts cut into the medieval vault fill. Today, the castle stands under a preservation order, its weathered limestone walls and later additions creating a palimpsest of Irish architectural history from the tumultuous 16th century through to the Victorian era.