The site represents one of those tantalising glimpses into medieval Ireland where the physical evidence has almost entirely vanished, leaving us to rely on historical accounts to piece together what once was. According to the antiquarian John O’Donovan, who surveyed the area in 1841 for the Ordnance Survey Letters, a small fragment of the castle wall still survived at that time; a formidable structure seven feet thick and well grouted that hinted at the building’s former grandeur.

O’Donovan’s observations paint a picture of what must have been an impressive fortification. The several heaps of rubble he noted suggested the castle had been extensive, whilst the surrounding defensive ditch or trench, though nearly filled in by the 1840s, indicated this was a site of some strategic importance. Like many Irish castles, it likely served as both a defensive stronghold and a centre of local power, though the specifics of its history; who built it, when it was constructed, and why it was abandoned; remain lost to time.

Today, the castle exists only in the historical record, with no visible remains surviving above ground. The site was documented as part of the North Kerry Archaeological Survey conducted by C. Toal in 1995, which catalogued numerous archaeological sites across the region. Whilst visitors to Glannalappa East won’t find stone walls or romantic ruins to explore, the location serves as a reminder of how much of Ireland’s medieval heritage has been reclaimed by the landscape, leaving only place names and old records to mark where castles once commanded the countryside.