The Civil Survey of 1654 to 1656 recorded a castle here with a stone house attached to a stone bawn, one of those fortified enclosures that were common across Ireland during the plantation period. These bawns served as protective courtyards where livestock and locals could shelter during raids, surrounded by high defensive walls that kept the dangers of 17th century Ireland at bay.

By 1760, when cartographer John Rocque mapped the area, the bawn had evolved into quite an impressive structure. His detailed survey shows a large rectangular enclosure with circular bastions positioned at the northwest and northeast corners, suggesting the site had been upgraded with more sophisticated military architecture. These rounded towers would have provided defenders with better sightlines and firing positions, allowing them to protect the walls from any angle of attack.

The bawn survived through changing times and shifting political landscapes until 1837, when it was finally demolished. Today, nothing remains of this once imposing fortification in Clontarf East, County Dublin; its stones likely recycled into the buildings and walls that replaced it as the area transformed from a defensive outpost into the peaceful seaside suburb it is today. The only traces left are in old maps and surveys, silent witnesses to a time when even the outskirts of Dublin needed strong walls and watchful towers.