Known as Purefoy or Ballyleakin Castle, this site appears on the Down Survey maps of 1655-6, suggesting it was still a notable structure in the mid-17th century. The castle once commanded an advantageous position on good pasture land with extensive views across the surrounding countryside; a strategic location that would have served its defensive purposes well.

Today, visitors to the site would struggle to identify any castle remains at ground level. The only surviving evidence consists of a few fragments of medieval stonework that have been incorporated into the ruins of a later dwelling, a common practice where old castles provided ready building materials for newer structures. Archaeological surveys conducted by O’Flanagan in 1933 noted these secondary positions of the original stonework, documenting what little physical evidence remained of the castle’s original form.

The site’s transformation continues into the modern era, with a large agricultural shed now occupying the spot where the castle once stood. While this makes archaeological investigation challenging, the location’s inclusion in the Archaeological Inventory of County Offaly ensures its historical significance is preserved in record, if not in stone. The inventory, published in 1997 and updated with recent research, maintains the memory of this lost fortress that once watched over the Offaly landscape.