This motte and bailey castle, likely built around 1207 when Walter de Lacey was granted the cantred of Eóganacht Caisil, consists of a steep-sided artificial mound rising nearly 9 metres high with an oval summit measuring roughly 10 metres across. The motte’s base is surrounded by a defensive ditch, or fosse, and an outer bank, whilst a U-shaped bailey extends from its eastern side. Today, the summit hosts an unexpected collection of features; a flagpole, a statue of Our Lady, and a kneeling St. Bernadette positioned on the slope below, alongside a recently planted tree protected from cattle by metal fencing.

The castle’s historical significance is tied to the Anglo-Norman conquest of Ireland, passing through the hands of powerful families like the de Laceys and de Burghs when Richard de Burgh married Walter’s daughter Egidia around 1225. Archaeological evidence suggests the summit may have once been crowned with a timber palisade or stone wall, indicated by a slight lip with high stone content still visible around parts of the perimeter, particularly on the southern side. The bailey, measuring approximately 42 metres north to south, retains impressive earthen banks that are most pronounced on its northern and eastern sides, where they rise over 5 metres from the exterior and contain notable amounts of stone.

Unfortunately, the monument has suffered from both agricultural use and mid-20th century quarrying, with extraction pits visible immediately west of the motte and east of the bailey. The pasture field surrounding it has been heavily damaged by cattle, and quarry spoil has been mounded against parts of the structure. Despite this damage, the site remains remarkably intact and has been protected under a preservation order since 1956, ensuring this impressive example of medieval military architecture continues to dominate the Tipperary landscape as it has for over 800 years.