When archaeologists last examined the site in 1975, they discovered that the bottom two storeys of what was once a formidable tower house had been cleverly incorporated into a working farm building. This practical repurposing of ancient structures was common throughout Ireland, where medieval fortifications often found new life serving agricultural purposes.

The tower house retained several distinctive medieval features despite its transformation. Investigators documented a newel staircase, a spiral stone stairway that would have connected the tower’s multiple floors, illuminated by a narrow slit opening that served both as a window and defensive feature. The exterior walls displayed the characteristic base batter, a sloping foundation that provided structural stability and made the tower more difficult to undermine during sieges. Perhaps most remarkably, the castle’s original studded wooden doorway survived the centuries; this rare example of medieval carpentry now resides in the National Museum in Dublin, where it continues to tell the story of Ireland’s fortified past.

Today, the area around Kilnamanagh has been completely developed, leaving no visible traces of the castle above ground. What was once a defensive stronghold, then a farm building, has now vanished beneath modern construction. This transformation from medieval fortress to agricultural structure to invisible history represents a pattern repeated across Ireland, where centuries of continuous habitation have created layers of history, each generation building upon or incorporating what came before.