Though nothing remains visible above ground today, early 20th-century surveys tell an intriguing story of medieval fortification. When mapped in 1910 by Costello, the site revealed a steep-sided, flat-topped artificial mound measuring approximately 45 by 36.5 metres, surrounded on its northern and northeastern sides by what appeared to be an old moat and dyke; probably the remnants of a defensive ditch with an outer bank. A smaller, semicircular flat area adjoined the mound to the southwest, suggesting additional defensive or domestic structures once stood there.

The Ordnance Survey maps from the early 20th century tracked the monument’s gradual deterioration. The 6-inch maps showed it as an irregular enclosure roughly 50 by 30 metres, whilst the 1930 third edition noted damage to the southern side. This pattern of decay is typical of earthwork castles across Ireland, where centuries of agricultural activity and natural erosion have gradually erased these once-imposing structures from the landscape.

The site’s proximity to a medieval church (catalogued as GA043-037) strengthens the case for this being a motte castle. Norman lords often built their fortifications near religious sites, creating defensive and administrative centres that controlled both secular and spiritual life in their territories. Though the physical evidence has vanished beneath the Galway soil, the historical records and landscape context paint a picture of Norman authority stamped onto the Irish countryside, part of the complex medieval tapestry that shaped modern Ireland.