Measuring approximately 30 metres east to west and 39 metres north to south, this raised platform would have once supported a fortified dwelling, likely dating from the 13th or 14th century when Anglo-Norman settlers were establishing themselves across Ireland. The site’s defensive features are still clearly visible: an earth and stone bank defines the perimeter with notably high corners, though time and agricultural activity have claimed the southern and western sections of the embankment.

The moat system that once protected this settlement remains partially intact, particularly on the eastern side where both the fosse, or defensive ditch, and a low counterscarp bank can still be traced. These water-filled ditches served multiple purposes in medieval Ireland; beyond their obvious defensive advantages, they provided drainage for the raised platform, a ready source of water, and even fresh fish for the table. Today, an east to west field wall cuts across the northern section of the monument, a reminder of the site’s long history of agricultural use after its abandonment.

Protected under a preservation order since 1994, this moated site represents one of hundreds scattered across the Irish countryside, each telling the story of medieval colonisation and adaptation. These earthworks were typically home to lesser nobility or prosperous farmers who needed defendable homesteads in what was often contested territory. The Ardabrone example, with its surviving earthworks and proximity to the later castle, offers visitors a chance to trace the evolution of defensive architecture in medieval Sligo, from these earlier earthen fortifications to the stone castles that would eventually replace them.