The site’s history stretches back to medieval times when the nearby motte, located about 80 metres south-southwest, served as the centre of the de Feipo manor of Skreen. At some point, a tower house was constructed on the current site, marking a shift in the local seat of power. The manor changed hands multiple times over the centuries; by the sixteenth century it belonged to the Marwood family before passing to the Nugents through William Nugent’s marriage to Margaret Marwood, the Marwood heiress. The Civil Survey of 1654-6 records that Thomas Nugent of Rosse held the majority of 640 acres at Skreen, whilst the two castles in the area were owned by Francis Dillon of Proudstown and George Lowther, a Protestant landowner.

Today, the castle presents itself as a three-storey rectangular structure with a distinctive circular tower at its southwest corner. Around 1780, a three-bay, three-storey house was built directly north of the castle, which underwent significant remodelling circa 1850 with the addition of a porch. It’s likely that the tower house received its current battlements and pointed windows during this Victorian renovation period. The ground floor, accessed through a wide pointed doorway measuring about 1.5 metres from the adjoining house, features what’s believed to be an original large fireplace that protrudes from the outer face of the west wall.

Whilst the two upper floors have been modernised, the castle retains fascinating medieval features in its circulation system. A mural staircase built into the west wall of the second floor connects to a newel stair within the circular tower at the southwest angle, which spirals upward to reach the modern battlements. This combination of medieval bones and later additions makes Skreen Castle a compelling example of how Irish fortified houses evolved from defensive structures into country residences, adapting to the changing needs and tastes of successive generations of owners.