The surviving ruins consist primarily of the western wall, measuring 7.5 metres in length, and a small 1.5-metre section of the northern wall, both reaching up to what would have been the second floor level. These weathered stones still bear the architectural signatures of their original construction, including the skewbacks that once supported vaulted ceilings running north to south over both the ground and second floors.

The castle’s remaining walls reveal glimpses of its original layout and daily use. At the western end of the north wall, traces indicate where the ground floor entrance once stood, whilst the western wall features a central, flat-headed window opening at first floor level. A wall press, likely used for storage, can be found at the northern end of the west wall on the second floor. An early 19th-century depiction by the antiquarian Daniel Grose shows the castle already in ruins, with a pointed arch doorway visible on the ground floor of the north wall and three storeys rising above, featuring a mix of window openings including a defensive slit window, though some were already damaged by that time.

Built by the de Courcey family, who were prominent Anglo-Norman settlers in Cork, Ringrone Castle formed part of their network of fortifications across the region. The de Courceys arrived in Ireland during the 12th-century Norman invasion and established themselves as powerful landowners, constructing castles like this one to control territory and river crossings. Today, these sparse ruins serve as a quiet reminder of the medieval power struggles that shaped County Cork’s landscape.