By the time of the Civil Survey in 1654-6, this medieval stronghold had already fallen into considerable decay, described rather forlornly as ‘an old stumpe of a castle’ accompanied by a deteriorating orchard and four cottages. The survey paints a picture of a site already well past its prime, its defensive role long abandoned in favour of more modest agricultural pursuits.

The castle’s unusual circular design set it apart from the more typical rectangular tower houses found throughout Ireland. When the antiquarian John O’Donovan visited in the 19th century, he noted that what remained of the structure stood within the farmyard of Kilcarren House, suggesting the old fortress had been thoroughly absorbed into the working landscape of a later era. Today, no traces of the castle remain visible above ground; the site has been completely erased from the landscape, leaving only historical records to tell its story.

Yet fragments of Kilcarren’s past still linger in the surrounding fields. Several architectural pieces, including sections of limestone window frames, lie scattered in a field south of where the castle once stood. These carved stones, perhaps once part of an elegant chamber or chapel window, serve as the only physical reminders of the structure that once commanded this gentle rise, watching over the pastures and bog lands of north Tipperary for centuries before time and neglect finally claimed it.