What remains today is the western half of what was once a formidable three-storey rectangular fortress, measuring approximately 21 metres north to south. The surviving structure reveals thick walls, about 1.3 metres wide, that once supported a much larger defensive complex. Two circular towers still flank the northwest and southwest corners, each nearly 5 metres across with walls just under a metre thick, connected by the castle’s western wall.

The towers themselves tell a fascinating story of 17th-century military architecture. Rising three storeys high, they were accessed directly from the central block through doorways that remarkably still retain their original wooden lintels; a rare survival after four centuries. The floors inside these towers were supported by wooden beams, now long gone, but the defensive purpose of these structures remains crystal clear. Every level bristles with musket loops, those narrow openings that allowed defenders to fire upon attackers whilst remaining protected behind stone walls. Archaeological evidence suggests there were originally four such towers, creating a symmetrical defensive structure capable of covering all approaches.

The castle’s design points firmly to the early 17th century, most likely connected to the Ulster Plantation of 1619 when English and Scottish settlers were granted lands throughout Ireland. The systematic placement of musket loops and the overall defensive plan reflect the paranoia and real dangers of this period, when newly arrived planters constructed fortified homes to protect themselves from potential Irish uprising. Though time and weather have reduced Corolanty to a partial ruin, enough survives to appreciate both its original strength and the uncertain times that necessitated such formidable domestic fortifications.