The 1839 Ordnance Survey six-inch map clearly labels this spot as ‘Site of castle’, though today no structural traces remain visible above ground. This absence of physical remains is quite common for Irish castle sites; many were dismantled over the centuries, their stones repurposed for local building projects or simply lost to time and weather.

The identification of this site relies primarily on historical cartographic evidence and local tradition rather than archaeological excavation. The Archaeological Inventory of County Carlow, first published in 1993 by the Stationery Office in Dublin, documents this location amongst the county’s numerous medieval sites, though subsequent research has provided little additional information about the castle’s original form or function.

Like many lost castles across Ireland, Ballinkillin’s fortification was likely a tower house or small stone castle built during the Anglo-Norman period or later medieval era. These structures served as both defensive strongholds and symbols of authority for local lords, controlling strategic points in the landscape and overseeing agricultural estates. Without excavation, the exact date of construction, the identity of its builders, and the circumstances of its destruction remain mysteries buried beneath that slight rise in the Carlow countryside.