This five-storey rectangular tower witnessed significant moments in Irish history, including the deaths of two lords of Decies: Gerald Fitzgerald of Dromana in 1553 and his grandson, also Gerald, in 1598. The castle’s strategic importance made it a target during Cromwell’s campaign, coming under attack in 1649.

The tower’s construction showcases sophisticated defensive architecture typical of the period. Standing approximately 12 metres east to west and 10.4 metres north to south, it features barrel vaults over the first and third floors. The eastern entrance, protected by a guardroom with murder holes above, leads to a carefully designed interior with multiple chambers across each floor. The lower levels contain defensive features like gun loops and stirrup loops, whilst the upper floors boast more comfortable amenities including ogee-headed windows and mural chambers with barrel vaults. A garderobe chute exits through the western wall, and though the parapet no longer survives, the remaining structure demonstrates the blend of military practicality and domestic comfort expected of a noble residence.

Adjacent to the tower house stand two later additions that speak to the site’s evolving role through the centuries. A stone building attached to the east served as the rectory of Templemichael in the 18th century, incorporating the tower’s ground floor and rebuilding its doorway. Just four metres northeast, a circular defensive tower with three embrasures provided additional protection to the complex, possibly connected to a now-fragmentary bawn wall. The proximity of Templemichael church site immediately to the west reinforces the ecclesiastical connections that gave the castle its name and highlights the intertwined nature of religious and secular power in medieval and early modern Ireland.