The castle's strategic position made it a coveted prize throughout its turbulent history; though Tadhg Caech MacMahon successfully defended it against Sir Conyers Clifford's siege in 1598, he soon lost it to the Earl of Thomond. The fortress changed hands repeatedly over the centuries, from Daniel O'Brien, who added his mark with a dated fireplace in 1603, to Cromwell's forces who garrisoned it during the 1650s, and eventually to the Burton family who held it until the 19th century.

Standing nearly 19 metres tall within a small bawn, the five-storey tower is a masterpiece of medieval defensive architecture. Built from roughly coursed local flagstone with limestone detailing around doors and windows, the structure features all the hallmarks of a well-fortified residence: murder holes above the entrance, gun loops, narrow defensive windows, and corner bartizans for surveillance. The main entrance on the east wall leads into a lobby flanked by vaulted chambers; one still contains red brick wine storage units from the castle's later residential period. A broad spiral staircase of local flagstone once provided access to the upper floors, though centuries of use have rendered it unsafe.

The castle bears evidence of numerous modifications throughout its occupation, including the insertion of more comfortable twin-light windows and the addition of substantial buildings against the south and west walls, now visible only as rooflines and blocked doorways. Archaeological excavations in 2002 uncovered foundations of what was likely a late 17th-century mansion attached to the tower house, along with period pottery. Despite the encroachment of marine erosion, which prompted the construction of a protective sea wall, Carrigaholt Castle remains one of Clare's most complete tower houses, now preserved as a National Monument in State care.