What remains today is the castle’s square gatehouse, a two-storey structure that once served as the main entrance to a larger complex. The building features at least one angle tower that would have risen higher than the main structure, though only the northwest wall and portions of the northeast wall survive to tell the tale.

The gatehouse’s ground floor reveals a clever defensive design typical of medieval Irish castles. A central vaulted passageway runs through the middle of the structure, flanked by two parallel vaulted chambers; the northeast chamber measures approximately 8 metres by 3.7 metres. These spaces would have served multiple purposes, from storage to accommodation for guards stationed at the entrance. A mural staircase built into the southwest wall provided access to the upper floor, whilst practical features like a garderobe chute (essentially a medieval toilet) can still be spotted in the northeast wall, along with keystones that once supported the curtain wall connecting to the rest of the castle.

Archaeological surveys have identified the original courtyard as a slightly raised platform to the southeast of the gatehouse, hinting at the castle’s former extent. These remains, documented in the Archaeological Inventory of County Carlow and further studied in recent years, paint a picture of a once-formidable stronghold that controlled access to this part of medieval Carlow. Though time has reduced it to ruins, the surviving stonework continues to demonstrate the skill of its builders and the strategic importance of such fortifications in Ireland’s turbulent past.