Built from coursed granite blocks, this gatehouse forms part of an impressive defensive ensemble that includes a tower house and connecting bawn wall, all constructed during the medieval period when such fortifications were essential for protecting valuable monastic lands.

The gatehouse itself reveals centuries of modifications through its varied masonry phases, particularly visible on the northern side. Its architectural features tell a story of both military necessity and domestic comfort; the structure rises from a defensive base batter to stepped crenellations at the top, with a projecting turret at the northwest angle that once allowed defenders to survey approaching threats. The main passage features contrasting arches, with a rounded external entrance giving way to a pointed internal arch topped by a wicker centred vault. Inside, a single chamber is illuminated by an elegant cusped, ogee-headed window facing south, whilst a simpler loop window pierces the western wall. A pointed archway in the northwest corner conceals a lintelled doorway that provided access to the upper battlements, whilst remnants of an eastern wing, lit by rectangular openings and showing later brick-faced insertions, hint at subsequent domestic adaptations.

Following the dissolution of the monasteries in the sixteenth century, these lands passed through several notable hands, beginning with Sir John Travers, Master of the Ordnance of Ireland. The property later belonged to Walter Cheevers before the 1641 rebellion, then to Ludlow Cromwell, who reportedly restored the castle and created formal gardens. A 1766 drawing by artist Gabriel Beranger captures the site in its Georgian heyday, depicting two towers bookending a courtyard, with a multi-chimneyed mansion along one side and an ornamental wall opposite; a far cry from its original monastic purpose but testament to the site's enduring importance in Dublin's architectural heritage.