Built in the 15th century by the O’Brien clan, who ruled this part of Thomond for generations, the castle served as both a defensive stronghold and a symbol of their considerable power in the region. The tower house, typical of its era, rises four storeys high with thick limestone walls that have weathered both warfare and the passage of time remarkably well.

The castle’s most notorious chapter came during the 17th century when it became the seat of Murrough O’Brien, later the 1st Earl of Inchiquin. Known as ‘Murrough of the Burnings’ for his brutal tactics during the Confederate Wars, he switched sides multiple times between the Royalists, Parliamentarians, and Confederate Catholics; a political dance that kept his lands intact whilst much of Ireland burned. His legacy remains controversial in Irish history, embodying the complex loyalties and savage realities of that turbulent period.

Today, the castle ruins offer visitors a tangible connection to medieval Ireland, with its spiral staircase, murder holes, and remnants of living quarters still visible despite centuries of neglect. The surrounding landscape, with its views across Inchiquin Lough towards the Burren, provides the same strategic vantage point that made this location so valuable to its original builders. Though privately owned and not officially open to the public, the castle can be viewed from the nearby road, standing as a silent monument to the O’Briens who once commanded this corner of Clare from behind its walls.