The four-storey structure, with its additional attic space, rises from a solid basal plinth and features the characteristic base-batter that helped these defensive buildings withstand attack. Built from roughly coursed rubble with finely cut limestone quoins, the tower measures approximately 7.88 metres by 10.11 metres and retains much of its original defensive architecture, including the remnants of angle machicolations at the northeast and southwest corners, from which defenders could drop missiles on attackers below.

The castle’s entrance showcases the defensive mindset of its builders; a pointed doorway on the western wall leads into a lobby protected by a murder-hole overhead, with a small guardroom to the south equipped with two gun-loops. A spiral staircase in the northwest angle provided access to the upper floors, where the accommodation became progressively more comfortable. The ground floor chamber sits beneath a vaulted first floor, whilst the upper levels feature an intriguing variety of window styles, including flat, round, elliptical and ogee-headed openings, with larger windows on the higher floors allowing more light into the living spaces. Two garderobe chambers built into the north wall, along with fireplaces on the second and third floors, speak to the domestic arrangements of the castle’s inhabitants.

Historical records from the Civil Survey of 1654-6 describe the building as ‘a castle tentable’, indicating it was still habitable in the mid-17th century. At that time, it was owned by Edmond Stapleton of Gortmakellis, identified as an ‘Irish Papist’ in the records, reflecting the religious tensions of the period. Today, whilst the tower house stands amid cultivated fields, a fallow area approximately 20 metres in extent to the north of the building may indicate where a bawn, or fortified courtyard, once provided additional protection for livestock and supplies. About 380 metres to the southwest, a ringfort provides evidence of much earlier settlement in this strategic location, suggesting the site has been significant for centuries.