Today, little remains of this medieval stronghold beyond a weathered section of the west wall, stretching about five metres, and a mere metre of the northern wall. The rest has been reduced to rubble, now hidden beneath a blanket of grass and sod that gives little hint of the structure that once commanded this strategic position.

The castle’s location, whilst offering commanding views across Dunnycove Bay, proves something of a disadvantage from a defensive standpoint; the ruins are easily overlooked from the landward approach, suggesting the builders prioritised maritime surveillance over protection from inland threats. This positioning hints at the castle’s likely role in monitoring sea traffic and controlling access to the bay, rather than serving as a fortress against land-based attacks.

According to the antiquarian Thomas Johnson Westropp, writing in 1914, this was once a castle of the O’Cowhigs, one of the many Gaelic families who controlled parcels of land throughout medieval Cork. Though time and weather have left precious little of their stronghold intact, these ruins serve as a tangible link to the complex network of local lordships that once divided the Cork coastline, each family maintaining their own fortified positions to protect their interests and assert their authority over both land and sea.