Records show the castle existed as early as 1574, when it belonged to one ‘Ricard beg’ Burke, a member of the prominent Burke family who controlled much of Galway during the medieval period. The rectangular tower, measuring approximately 9.45 metres long and 7.6 metres wide, rises four storeys high and represents a fine example of the defensive architecture that once dotted the Irish countryside.

The castle’s entrance reveals the careful thought given to defence in its original design. A pointed-arch doorway, positioned off-centre in the east wall, leads visitors into a lobby overlooked by a murder hole; a grim reminder of more turbulent times. A spiral staircase in the southeast corner connects the tower’s four levels, each thoughtfully laid out with a main chamber and smaller subsidiary room to the east. Between the second and third floors, a stone vault provides structural support, whilst fireplaces built into the north wall on the first and third floors would have offered warmth to the castle’s inhabitants. The tower also featured surprisingly sophisticated sanitation for its era, with an enclosed latrine gallery running along the east side between the first and second floors, plus an additional latrine on the third floor.

During the 19th century, a gabled house was constructed against the south wall, transforming the medieval fortress into a more comfortable dwelling. Both the tower and the adjoining house underwent renovation in the 1960s and remain in use today as a private residence, making Cloonacauneen one of Ireland’s rare continuously inhabited tower houses. The windows, originally single or double lights with ogee or flat heads, and a concealed chamber hidden within the thickness of the arch on the third floor’s south side, speak to both the defensive needs and architectural sophistication of its medieval builders. Though only the bases of the original parapets survived into the 20th century, the castle remains an impressive testament to the endurance of Ireland’s medieval heritage.