Though only earthworks and scattered stones remain today, this was once a formidable tower house built by one of the region’s Anglo-Norman families, likely during the 15th or 16th century. The castle’s strategic position allowed its inhabitants to oversee the surrounding farmland and maintain control over this portion of east Galway.

Like many Irish tower houses, Moneyduff Castle would have stood four or five storeys high, with thick stone walls designed to withstand both sieges and the harsh Atlantic weather. The structure likely featured the typical defensive elements of its time; narrow windows on lower floors, murder holes above the entrance, and battlements along the roofline. Historical records suggest the castle changed hands several times during the turbulent centuries following its construction, passing between various Gaelic and Anglo-Norman families as political fortunes shifted.

The castle’s decline probably began during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland in the 1650s, when many such fortifications were deliberately destroyed or left to decay. Local tradition holds that stones from the ruined castle were later used to build nearby field walls and farm buildings, a common practice that has left little visible evidence of the original structure. Today, visitors to the site will find only subtle traces; a raised area marking the castle’s footprint, perhaps some foundation stones hidden amongst the grass, and the enduring sense of history that clings to these ancient places.