This medieval structure, also known as the Friar’s Castle according to the Ordnance Survey Letters of 1839, sits approximately 100 metres north of what was once a substantial medieval barn called the Friar’s Barn. The connection between these two buildings hints at the site’s monastic past; both structures once belonged to the temporal possessions of Graiguenamanagh, also known as Duiske Abbey.

The abbey’s ownership of Annamult dates back to the early 13th century, as documented by historian Carrigan in 1905. The monks maintained control of this valuable landholding for over three centuries until Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries in 1540 brought their tenure to an abrupt end. This long association with one of Ireland’s most important Cistercian foundations shaped the character of the area and left its mark in the very names of the buildings that survive.

Historical maps reveal another intriguing element of the site’s defensive architecture. The first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1839 shows a tower standing about 70 metres northwest of the castle, likely the corner tower of a protective bawn wall that would have enclosed the castle complex. By 1947, this tower had vanished, marked only as ‘site of’ on revised maps; a ghostly cartographic reminder of the fortifications that once protected this monastic outpost. Today, visitors to Annamult can still trace the footprint of this medieval complex, where religious life and defensive necessity shaped the Kilkenny landscape for centuries.