Before the construction of the Ballinamore and Ballyconnell Canal altered the water levels and shoreline of Gardice Lough, this bay measured roughly 600 metres northwest to southeast and 450 metres northeast to southwest, opening into the western end of the lough. Today, visitors will find a grass-covered rectangular area measuring approximately 30.5 by 27 metres, surrounded by the earthwork remnants of what was once a formidable defensive structure.

The site’s boundaries tell the story of medieval defensive engineering. On the northwest side, a scrub-covered earthen bank rises up to 2 metres high on its outer face, accompanied by an outer fosse or moat that’s still visible as a depression roughly 5.5 metres wide and up to a metre deep. The southeast side features another moat of similar width though shallower at 0.3 to 0.5 metres deep. The northeast boundary consists of a bank measuring 3 metres wide and half a metre high on its inner face, whilst the southwest side is defined by a scarp between 0.5 and 1 metre in height. Archaeological evidence suggests the northeast and southwest sides may have been truncated over time, possibly losing some of their original features.

These moated sites were typically constructed during the Anglo-Norman period in Ireland, serving as fortified farmsteads or manor houses for colonising families. The defensive earthworks would have originally been more imposing; the banks likely topped with timber palisades and the water-filled moats serving as both a physical barrier and a psychological deterrent to would-be attackers. The location near the lough shore would have provided additional strategic advantages, including access to water transport and fishing resources, whilst the south-facing slope offered shelter from prevailing winds and maximum sunlight for any agricultural activities within or near the enclosure.