Though the 1840 Ordnance Survey map depicts it as ruins, today no trace remains above ground of what was once a significant fortified residence in County Tipperary North.

The castle’s heyday is captured in remarkable detail in the Civil Survey of 1654-56, which paints a picture of a thriving medieval settlement. The survey describes not just the castle itself but an entire complex including a barbican, a slate house, gardens, an orchard, and a watermill. Eight thatched tenements clustered nearby, along with the parish church of Castletown, creating what must have been a bustling community centre. The castle also held judicial significance, maintaining a Court Baron by letters patent; a feudal court where the lord could administer justice over his tenants and lands.

Historical records place the castle in the hands of Donogh O’Brien in 1640, connecting it to one of Ireland’s most prominent Gaelic families. The structure appears on both the 1654-56 parish map and the Down Survey map of 1654-57, where it’s depicted as a tower house, suggesting it may have been a typical Irish fortified residence of the period. Today, visitors to the site must rely on imagination and these documentary glimpses to conjure the castle that once commanded this strategic position above the Shannon and Lough Derg.