[3] The Ordnance Survey name book (published c. 1840) also refers both to the 'house and demesne' of Dripsey Castle as a gentleman's seat belonging to John Henry Colthurst, Esq.

[citation needed] The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (NIAH) describes Dripsey Castle as a detached, seven-bay, three-storey country house, built c. 1740, and having a central pedimented three-bay breakfront, a canted bay window on its southern side, and a three-bay, two-storey, flat-roofed wing on its northern side with recent extension.

A farm complex of single and double-storey buildings lies to the west, having a central pedimented breakfront which reflects the design of the main house.

[1] The Archaeological Inventory of County Cork describes the house as being of late-eighteenth-century appearance, with the central door approached by a flight of stone steps.

At the time of the ITA survey, the drawing-room contained a carved marble mantlepiece, and in the breakfast room a bookcase said to be made from timber originating in Carrigadrohid Castle.