The site consists of a raised platform measuring approximately 65 metres northwest to southeast and 40 metres northeast to southwest, surrounded by an impressive series of earthen banks and ditches that would have made any medieval resident feel considerably more secure.

The defensive architecture here follows a classic pattern: a substantial inner bank encircles the raised central area where buildings would have stood, followed by a wide, deep fosse (or ditch) that remains partly waterlogged to this day, and traces of an outer bank beyond that. The outer fosse is most clearly visible along the southern edge, though careful observation reveals its course around the entire perimeter. Interestingly, early archaeological surveys from 1974 noted that the corners of these earthworks show deliberate reinforcement; the northeast and southeast corners of the outer bank are raised, as are the northwest and southwest corners of the inner bank, suggesting sophisticated defensive planning.

A gap in the inner bank along the western side likely marks the original entrance to the site, though curiously there’s no evidence of a causeway that would have bridged the defensive ditch. This type of moated site was typically constructed by Anglo-Norman colonists or Gaelicised lords between the 13th and 15th centuries, serving as fortified farmsteads or minor manor houses. They represent a fascinating period when Ireland’s landscape was dotted with these small but formidable defensive homesteads, each one a testament to the uncertain times in which their inhabitants lived.