This steep-sided rectangular mound, built from earth and stone, rises between four and six metres high. Its level summit, measuring 28.5 metres from northeast to southwest and 17.5 metres from northwest to southeast, is encircled by a low bank of earth and stone, roughly half a metre in height and up to two metres wide.

The motte’s defensive features remain clearly visible today. A substantial fosse, or defensive ditch, wraps around three sides of the mound; the northeast, southeast and southwest. This deep excavation, measuring six to eight metres wide and reaching depths of up to 2.2 metres, would have presented a formidable obstacle to any would-be attackers. On the southwest side, the outer lip of the fosse preserves the remains of a massive earthen and stone bank, still standing 1.5 metres high and spanning 6.5 metres in width, which would have formed an additional line of defence.

The northwestern side of the motte tells a different story about the site’s relationship with its watery neighbour. Here, no fosse was necessary; the waters of Lough Gowna itself provided natural protection, lapping directly at the base of the mound until the 1960s when water levels were lowered. This strategic positioning, using both constructed defences and natural features, demonstrates the careful thought that went into selecting and fortifying this location during the medieval period.