Originally believed to be a timber structure, this stone structure is not the original one at this site and dates from the 13th Century. A rebuilding and extension happened in the early 1500s only to be destroyed by attacks using canon in the 1530s as a response to the Silken Thomas rebellion.

A century later when Richard Boyle (Earl of Cork) purchased the wardship of George Fitzgerald, he rebuilt the castle and St. Mary’s Church. The castle was destroyed by fire in 1647 and it has never been re-occupied since.