Built from sandstone with randomly coursed rubble masonry, Kilmeage Castle served as a stronghold for a branch of the Fitzgerald family, one of Ireland’s most influential Anglo-Norman dynasties. Historical records place the castle firmly in the documentary evidence by 1553, though its origins likely stretch back further into the medieval period.

The castle’s strategic position, with marshy wetlands immediately to the south, would have provided natural defences alongside its stone walls. A photograph from around 1900 shows what remained at the turn of the twentieth century: a two-storey structure with traces of an almost completely destroyed third floor, along with what appeared to be remnants of a bawn wall; a defensive perimeter typical of Irish tower houses. The building featured a mural staircase, built directly into the thickness of the walls, which was a common architectural feature in Irish castles of this type.

Like many Irish castles, Kilmeage met its downfall during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. In 1650, Oliver Cromwell’s forces under Hewson captured the castle, marking the end of its role as a Fitzgerald stronghold. By 1986, no upstanding remains of the castle survived, leaving only historical accounts and that single photograph from 1900 to tell its story. The site now exists only in memory and record, compiled by researchers like O’Grady in the early 1900s and later documented by Gearóid Conroy for the archaeological survey in 2011.