This large oval mound stretches 110 metres from northwest to southeast and 70 metres from northeast to southwest, dominating the local landscape with its substantial presence. Whilst its exact origins remain somewhat mysterious, many experts believe it may be a motte, one of those artificial earthen mounds that Norman invaders constructed across Ireland in the 12th and 13th centuries as bases for their timber castles.

The site was first documented in the Archaeological Inventory of County Carlow, published by the Stationery Office in Dublin back in 1993, though research has continued to shed new light on its history since then. Bradley’s 1989 study particularly highlighted the possibility of this being a motte and bailey fortification, which would make it part of the Norman conquest and colonisation of Ireland. These structures typically consisted of a raised earth mound topped with a wooden keep, surrounded by an enclosed courtyard known as a bailey, all protected by wooden palisades.

The Dunleckny mound’s impressive dimensions suggest it was once a significant defensive position, likely controlling important routes through medieval Carlow. If it is indeed a motte, it would have been constructed by piling up earth and stones to create an artificial hill, with the flat summit providing space for a wooden tower or keep. The nearby church might indicate that a settlement grew up around this fortification, a common pattern in medieval Ireland where military strongholds often became the nuclei of new communities.