Though the exact date of its construction remains uncertain, historical records suggest the castle was built sometime in the 15th or 16th century, likely by one of the prominent Anglo-Norman families who controlled much of Kilkenny during the medieval period. The structure would have served as both a defensive fortification and a symbol of authority in what was then a contested borderland between Gaelic and Norman territories.

Today, visitors to the site will find only fragments of what was once a substantial tower house; a typical Irish castle design that combined residential quarters with military defences. The remaining walls, though weathered by time, still show evidence of the building’s original features, including narrow arrow loops for defence and the remnants of what would have been multiple floors within the tower. Archaeological surveys of the area have revealed traces of additional structures that once surrounded the main tower, suggesting this was once the centre of a larger settlement or bawn, a fortified enclosure common to Irish castles of this period.

The castle’s strategic position in the Kilkenny countryside placed it along important medieval routes between larger settlements, making it a valuable asset for whoever controlled it. Local tradition holds that the castle changed hands several times during the Confederate Wars of the 1640s and may have been deliberately slighted, or partially demolished, during Cromwell’s campaign through Ireland. While much of its stone has been repurposed for local building projects over the centuries, the site remains an evocative reminder of Ireland’s complex medieval landscape, where every tower house tells a story of conquest, resistance, and adaptation.