The site consists of a striking oval mound of earth and stone, rising four to five metres high with steep sides that would have made it formidable to attackers. The summit, measuring roughly 29 metres north to south and 24 metres east to west, is encircled by a low bank of stone and earth that once formed the castle’s defensive perimeter. A break in this bank on the south-southeast side, complete with a ramp extending down the slope, marks the original entrance to this medieval stronghold.

The castle’s violent history reflects the turbulent nature of medieval Irish politics. Established by the English shortly after their arrival in Connacht, the fortification became a flashpoint for conflict between colonisers and the native Irish. In 1308, the O’Connor clan killed the castle’s constable and numerous English defenders, and just two years later, according to the Annals of Clonmacnoise, they returned to burn and plunder the site. Following the English expulsion, the O’Connors claimed the castle for themselves, though it brought them little peace; in 1494, Donnell O’Connor met his death here at the hands of his own cousins during a bitter succession dispute.

Today, the mound stands as a grassy remnant of its former glory, with fragments of oyster shell visible in the exposed soil on its external face, perhaps evidence of medieval feasting. Local tradition holds that much of the castle’s stonework was pilfered over the centuries to construct nearby buildings, including an adjacent farmhouse and the aptly named ‘Castle Lodge’. Unlike many ringwork castles, this site lacks both a fosse (defensive ditch) and a bailey (enclosed courtyard), making it a relatively simple but effective fortification that controlled this strategic position above the bay for nearly two centuries.