This imposing ruin tells a story of medieval power and politics; it belonged to the Earls of Ormond and served as a significant administrative centre during the 15th century. The county court of the liberty of Tipperary regularly convened here, with records dating back to January 1410 referring to court sittings at ‘Crumpiscastell’, though the castle itself appears in documents a century earlier in 1308-9 as ‘Crompescastell’. By 1640, the castle was already described as being in ruins with only the walls standing, and local tradition holds that it withstood Cromwellian cannon fire without falling.

The four-storey limestone structure reveals two distinct phases of construction through its architecture. Originally built as a hall-house reaching only to first-floor level with crude quoins and simple windows, it was later rebuilt and extended upward in the 16th century with finer craftsmanship, including well-cut limestone quoins and elegant three-centred windows. The castle’s unusual plan consists of a main rectangular block measuring roughly 12 by 10 metres externally, with a square garderobe tower projecting from the north wall and a small projection housing a spiral staircase. During the rebuild, builders added an inner skin to the internal walls and inserted a pointed vault over the first floor, replacing what had originally been timber flooring throughout.

Though much of the west and south walls have collapsed (the west wall fell dramatically in August 1893), enough survives to trace the castle’s sophisticated layout. The ground floor featured three windows and wall cupboards, whilst the first floor boasted a fireplace and access to the garderobe chamber. The upper floors, now largely inaccessible, contained more elaborate features including two-light mullioned windows, another fireplace with an external flue supported on corbels, and additional garderobe chambers. The survival of murder-hole remains above the entrance lobby and large corbels that likely supported a hammer-beam roof speak to both the defensive capabilities and domestic comforts that made this castle an appropriate venue for the county’s legal proceedings.