Built in the 15th century, this tower house served as both a defensive stronghold and a family residence for local Irish chieftains who needed to protect their lands from rival clans and English incursions. The castle’s strategic position allowed its inhabitants to monitor the surrounding countryside whilst maintaining control over important local routes and resources.

The structure itself follows the typical design of Irish tower houses from this period, rising four storeys high with thick limestone walls that could withstand siege warfare. Inside, the castle would have contained a great hall for entertaining and conducting business, private chambers for the family, and storage areas for provisions during times of conflict. Murder holes above the entrance, narrow arrow slits, and a machicolation at roof level provided defensive advantages; these architectural features reveal how seriously medieval Irish lords took the threat of attack.

Today, Colmanstown Castle remains largely intact despite centuries of abandonment, though ivy now claims much of its exterior walls. The castle offers visitors a glimpse into the complex world of Gaelic Ireland during its final centuries of independence, when local lords built these fortified homes to maintain their authority in an increasingly unstable political landscape. Its survival speaks to the quality of medieval Irish construction and the enduring fascination these structures hold for those interested in understanding how power, architecture, and survival intertwined in medieval Clare.