While the 1838 Ordnance Survey map clearly marks it as ‘Site of Castle’, and locals still refer to the adjacent field as ‘Castle Field’, no visible remains can be spotted at ground level. The only tangible evidence of its existence emerged when a local landowner stumbled upon what appeared to be a passage or large stone-lined culvert running along the southwest side of the laneway that approaches the site from the northwest.

The castle’s stones may have found a second life in the late 19th century when two farm labourers’ cottages were constructed just south of the original site, on the western side of the southwestern approach lane. The masonry used in these cottages bears the hallmarks of recycled building material, suggesting that practical Victorian builders made use of whatever dressed stone was readily available from the ruins. This practice of repurposing castle stones for humbler dwellings was common throughout Ireland, turning many medieval fortifications into literal foundations for the homes of agricultural workers.

Today, visitors to Aughrim Upper will find themselves relying more on imagination than observation to conjure the castle that once stood here. The site serves as a reminder of how thoroughly time and human activity can erase even substantial stone structures, leaving behind only field names, old maps, and the occasional underground surprise to hint at what once dominated this riverside slope.