Tower-house and bawn were built in the 1560s at a cost of £361 4s 2d for an English garrison, but later in that century it was in the hands of the Gaelic Magennis family. A lease of 1570 refers to ‘nine cottages covered with earth within the precinct of the said castle’.
The tower entrance in the west wall was protected by a forebuilding and a corbelled machicolation above, with a murder-hole immediately inside. Gun-loops on the corner provided extra cover. There are chambers at three levels with an attic, and straight stairs, latrines and other small chambers in the wall thickness. The first floor room has a semi-circular barrel vault built on wicker centring. There was a wall-walk behind the stepped battlements, commanding extensive views.
The bawn wall has been modified by later use (the site was used for industrial purposes in the late 18th century) but it must represent the extent of the original enclosure, with part of the promontory to the west left for a small boat quay.
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