This oval mound rises 5.5 metres high, its steep sides creating a distinctive conical shape that would have been even more imposing in its heyday. The summit, measuring roughly 30.5 metres north to south and 21.5 metres east to west, slopes gently inward from the rim, suggesting it once supported a wooden tower or palisade typical of Norman fortifications.

What makes this site particularly interesting is the rectangular raised area attached to its northern side, separated by a defensive ditch about three metres wide. This feature, known as a bailey, would have served as an enclosed courtyard where the castle’s garrison lived and worked. Today, whilst the main mound remains covered in grass, the bailey area has become overgrown with dense scrub, making it harder to appreciate the full extent of the fortification. The entire bailey platform, measuring 50 metres east to west and 15 metres north to south, sits about 2.5 metres above the surrounding ground level.

The strategic importance of this location becomes clear when you consider the River Arrow, also known as the Unshin, flowing just 400 metres to the west. The castle was almost certainly built to control a crucial river crossing near what is now Ballygrania Bridge. This type of motte and bailey castle represented the cutting edge of military technology when the Normans arrived in Ireland in the late 12th century, allowing them to quickly establish control over key routes and territories with relatively simple earth and timber constructions.