The castle’s history stretches back to at least 1574, when records show it belonged to one Shane O’Daly. The name Laragh itself comes from the Irish ‘Larthach’ or ‘leathrath’, reflecting the area’s Gaelic heritage and its long connection to local Irish families.

By the time the Ordnance Survey teams came through in 1839, the castle had already fallen into complete ruin. Their letters noted that whilst locals could still point out where the castle once stood in Laragh townland, little remained of the structure itself. This was a common fate for many of Ireland’s tower houses and smaller castles, which fell victim to centuries of conflict, neglect, and the practical recycling of their stone for other buildings.

Today, the site offers no visible surface traces whatsoever; the bog has reclaimed what was once a symbol of local power and prestige. The castle’s complete disappearance serves as a reminder of how thoroughly time and nature can erase even substantial stone buildings, leaving only documentary evidence and local memory to mark where they once stood. Archaeological surveys conducted for the Archaeological Inventory of County Galway confirmed the absence of any remaining features, placing Laragh Castle firmly in the category of Ireland’s lost heritage sites.