The castle’s story begins in the late fourteenth century when William Óg Nugent, second son of William, First Baron of Delvin, purchased the lands of Moyrath. By the time of the Civil Survey in 1654-6, the property had grown to encompass 810 acres under the ownership of Sir Thomas Nugent of Moyrath, though the survey paints a rather melancholy picture of the estate; alongside the castle stood a ruined house and a handful of cottages.

The tower house we see today likely once stood taller, its original medieval character now softened by modernisation. Large windows have replaced what were probably narrow defensive openings, whilst decorative crenellations crown the structure where genuine battlements might once have stood. These changes reflect the castle’s transformation from defensive stronghold to comfortable residence, a journey completed when the Potterton family made it their home in the nineteenth century, despite the property being owned by one Henry Grattan at the time.

What makes Moyrath particularly remarkable is that it remains occupied to this day, with a nineteenth-century house attached to its northeastern side. This continuous habitation has ensured the castle’s preservation, even as it has evolved to meet the changing needs of its residents. The blend of medieval fortification and later domestic comforts tells the broader story of Ireland’s tower houses; structures that began as symbols of power and defence but adapted to become family homes as the centuries rolled by.