The castle gained notoriety in 1598 when Redmond Burke seized it, transforming the fortification into a strategic base for launching raids against Clanrickard. By the time of the Civil Survey in 1654-6, the once-formidable stronghold had already fallen into disrepair, described as ‘an old ruined castle and bawne, the walls onely standing a decayed orchard & twenty cottages’. The property belonged to Donnogh Kenedy of Lackeene in 1640, though his ownership came during the castle’s declining years.

The remaining structure consists of a three-storey rectangular tower house built from uncoursed limestone rubble, accompanied by a bawn measuring approximately 32 metres north to south and 33 metres east to west. The tower house formed the eastern boundary of the bawn, with the main defensive courtyard extending westward. The original entrance, now destroyed, was located along the northern wall and featured a two-storey gatehouse with a barrel-vaulted ground floor; this vault was cleverly left incomplete at its western end to accommodate wooden stairs leading to the first floor. A later addition saw the original bawn wall, attached to the tower’s northeast corner, repurposed as the eastern wall of a new building, with a small trabeate doorway inserted into its southern end.

Within the bawn area, west of the tower house, lies an intriguing dome-shaped structure covering two parallel tunnels running east to west, separated by a dividing wall. These small passages feature lintelled roofs and open ends, and according to local knowledge, may have served as food storage spaces, their design maintaining a constant cool temperature ideal for preservation. Though much of Drominagh Castle now lies in ruins, these remaining features offer valuable insights into the defensive architecture and daily life of a 16th-century Irish fortification.