Built by Mahon and Gilladubh, sons of Sioda MacNamara, Corbally Castle remained under MacNamara control until 1641, when Conor MacNamara lost both his castle and lands to Pierce Butler following a forfeiture. The site now consists of a subcircular platform measuring approximately 21 metres north to south and 16 metres east to west, with heights varying from 0.4 metres on the western side to 2.3 metres on the eastern side; a north to south road now bisects what remains of the structure.

The castle’s history continued beyond the MacNamara era when the O’Brien family took up residence in Corbally. Among the notable inhabitants was Captain Dermot O’Brien, a military man who fought at the Battle of Fontenoy in 1745 and is recorded as living at the site during this period. By 1839, however, the castle had been completely demolished, with only the foundation traces surviving to hint at its former presence, as noted in the Ordnance Survey Letters of that year.

Today, visitors to the site will find little more than the earthwork platform that once supported this medieval stronghold, yet the location remains significant as a physical link to the complex web of Gaelic and Anglo Irish families who shaped County Clare’s turbulent history. The archaeological remains, documented by historians including Risteárd Ua Cróinín and Martin Breen in their comprehensive study of Clare’s castles and tower houses, continue to provide valuable insights into the defensive structures that once dominated the Irish landscape.