According to local historians Risteárd Ua Cróinín and Martin Breen’s comprehensive survey of Clare’s fortifications, this tower house represents one of many such defensive structures that once dotted the county’s landscape. The castle’s remains, though modest, offer tangible evidence of the complex network of power and protection that characterised Gaelic and Anglo-Norman society in medieval Ireland.

The site at Meelick follows the typical pattern of Irish tower houses; compact, vertical strongholds designed for defence whilst providing accommodation for local lords and their households. These structures emerged primarily in the 15th and 16th centuries as a response to ongoing territorial disputes and the need for fortified residences that could withstand raids and sieges. The castle would have served multiple functions: a symbol of authority, a refuge during conflicts, and a centre for administering the surrounding lands.

Today, visitors to Meelick can trace the footprint of the original structure and imagine the castle in its prime, when it would have commanded respect and fear in equal measure. The unpublished research by Ua Cróinín and Breen, made available in December 2014, provides valuable documentation of this and other Clare castles, preserving details that might otherwise be lost to time and weather. Their work ensures that even as these stone sentinels continue to crumble, their stories remain part of Clare’s rich historical record.