Built from limestone rubble with a roughly harled exterior finish, this rectangular defensive structure measures approximately 39 metres north to south and 45 metres east to west. The walls, standing five metres high and over a metre thick, showcase the defensive architecture typical of 17th century Ireland. According to the Civil Survey of 1640, this was once a ‘Castle & Bawne’ owned by one Phillip Hackett, though the tower house itself has long since vanished.

The bawn’s defensive features remain remarkably intact, particularly along its northern, eastern, and western walls, though time has been less kind to the southern section. Narrow defensive loops punctuate the walls at regular intervals, positioned about 1.4 metres above ground level; these embrasures, measuring roughly 60 to 70 centimetres high and just 8 centimetres wide, would have allowed defenders to fire upon attackers whilst remaining protected. A small stream flows along the northern and eastern base of the structure, providing what would have been a useful natural defence. The southwestern angle shows evidence of reinforcement with inner and outer wall ‘skins’, strengthening the corner where the now lost tower house once stood.

By the time of the first Ordnance Survey map in 1840, the bawn had already been repurposed for agricultural use, with several buildings constructed within its protective walls. Today, only one of these later additions survives; an 18th or 19th century building that appears to have been extended after 1840. The original entrance to the bawn has been lost, though remnants of what may be an entrance pier remain along the southern wall. Later modifications include an entrance through the western wall and round gate piers in the southeast quadrant, both dating from the 18th or 19th century, showing how this medieval fortification evolved to meet the changing needs of its inhabitants over the centuries.