This earthwork, measuring 18 metres from northwest to southeast and 8 metres across its shorter axis, represents what archaeologists believe to be a medieval motte; the earthen foundation of a timber castle that once commanded this corner of Kerry. The mound’s most striking feature is its dramatically uneven profile, with approximately 9 metres of its northeastern side having been quarried away at some point in antiquity, leaving behind a steep scarp that drops nearly 3 metres on the southern approach.

The mound tells a story of gradual transformation through its varying elevations and contours. Where the southern face presents an imposing barrier with its sharp 2.75-metre drop, the northern and southeastern sides reveal evidence of historical excavation work, reduced to a gentler slope just over a metre in height. The summit itself reflects this asymmetry; whilst the centre remains relatively level, the southwestern half slopes downward, and a small quarried depression marks the southern quadrant. Dense vegetation now cloaks much of the southern scarp, nature slowly reclaiming what medieval builders once raised.

Recorded by the Archaeological Survey of Ireland as an extant monument, this motte offers a tangible link to Norman influence in Kerry, when such fortifications dotted the Irish landscape as symbols of conquest and control. Though time and quarrying have altered its original form, the mound at Skahies continues to stand as a reminder of the military architecture that shaped medieval Ireland, its weathered earthworks preserving the footprint of a long-vanished wooden stronghold.