The site has a long history, beginning as a possession of the Cistercian abbey from its foundation until the Suppression in 1541, when John Devereux held 60 acres here. The lands eventually passed to Sir Osborne Itchingham in 1545, and by 1640, John Etchingham owned 135 acres and the castle at Kilheale, according to the Civil Survey of 1654-5.

Today, only fragments of this medieval tower house remain; primarily the north wall stretching 6.3 metres and portions of the adjoining east and west walls that reach up to the wall-walk level. The pointed entrance in the north wall, built from undressed stones, showcases defensive features typical of Irish tower houses: machicolation operated from the fourth floor above and a murder hole in the entrance lobby. Inside, a complex system of passages and stairs once connected the tower’s multiple levels. The lobby led to both the ground floor and a mural staircase in the north wall, which rose to a garderobe at the northeast angle and provided access to the first floor beneath what was once a north-south vault.

The tower’s internal layout reveals intriguing architectural details that hint at its defensive and domestic functions. A mysterious chamber, possibly an oubliette or hidden room, occupies the northwest angle at first floor level. The upper floors, supported on corbels in the east and west walls, contained fireplaces in the western wall at the second and third floors, though only the fourth floor flue projects from the outer wall face. Windows were sparingly placed; a single rectangular opening at second floor level and a narrower light at third floor pierce the north wall, whilst the machicolation remains the sole feature at fourth floor level. Archaeological testing conducted in 2008 within 30 to 50 metres of the tower house yielded no related material, leaving many questions about the castle’s immediate surroundings and auxiliary structures unanswered.