The name itself, interpreted as ‘Inse Bheithe’ meaning ‘River Meadows of the Birch Trees’, hints at the lush landscape that once surrounded this five-storey tower house. While the castle appears on maps from 1840 onwards as ‘Inchovea Castle (in ruins)’, it was already in a state of decay when John O’Donovan described it in 1839 as being in ‘tolerable preservation’ in the townland of Toormore.

Built directly on bedrock with walls up to 2.45 metres thick, the castle’s surviving eastern face reveals a fascinating cross-section of medieval architecture. The ground floor contains a single stone-vaulted chamber with traces of wickerwork centering still visible under its pointed arch, whilst corbels suggest there may have been a low loft beneath the vault. As you look up through the missing floors, you can still make out the intact corner spiral staircases, wall chambers, and window embrasures that once served the castle’s inhabitants. The third and fourth floors feature twin-light windows with hood mouldings, whilst Thomas Johnson Westropp noted in 1899 that the castle once boasted ‘two stories above the upper vault’ and a fireplace decorated with spiral pillars.

The castle’s history remains somewhat mysterious; whilst Sir Donald O’Brien owned it in 1580, researchers believe it was likely built decades earlier. Over the centuries, the collapsed portions of Inchovea have been recycled into the surrounding landscape, with stones reused in nearby farmhouses, outbuildings, and even the local national school. The 1992 survey by Ua Cróinín and Breen raised concerns about the eroding shale rock foundation, which continues to threaten what remains of this remarkable structure. Today, partially draped in ivy and surrounded by overgrown woodland, the castle stands as a testament to both medieval engineering and the relentless passage of time.