This Anglo-Norman family earned their distinctive title through their practice of wearing white armour in battle, setting them apart from their cousins, the Black Knights of Desmond. The castle served as the seat of their power in North Cork for centuries, commanding the surrounding countryside and playing a significant role in the region’s tumultuous medieval history.

By the mid-18th century, historian Charles Smith could still observe substantial remnants of what he described as “a fine old building”, though the castle had already met its demise during the Confederate Wars of 1641. The conflict, which saw Catholic Irish nobles rise against English Protestant rule, brought widespread destruction to fortifications across Ireland; the White Knights’ stronghold was amongst the casualties. Smith’s 1750 account mentions that a later house had been built nearby, with the old castle walls still visible as a testament to the site’s former grandeur.

Today, no trace of the castle remains above ground, its stones long since carted away for other building projects or buried beneath industrial development. The transformation from medieval stronghold to modern creamery complex reflects Ireland’s broader journey from a landscape dominated by fortified towers and territorial disputes to one shaped by agriculture and commerce. Archaeological records, including the comprehensive inventory published in 2000, preserve the memory of this lost landmark, ensuring that the story of the White Knights and their vanished castle remains part of Mitchelstown’s heritage.