The motte itself is an oval platform measuring 20 metres from north-northwest to south-southeast and 14 metres across, rising between 2.5 and 4 metres high. It’s separated from the bailey by a defensive ditch, or fosse, that’s 3.5 metres wide and nearly a metre deep. The bailey, a trapezoidal level area extending 32 metres at its longest and 15 metres at its widest, is protected by an earthen bank standing a metre high on the inside, with an external fosse up to 5 metres wide and a metre deep running from southeast to northwest.

What makes this site particularly fascinating is that it forms part of an extensive network of earthworks stretching 550 metres along the ridge summit. About 75 metres northeast of the motte, two substantial banks cut across the ridge 20 metres apart, effectively isolating the southwestern end and creating a fortified enclosure around the castle. Three access ramps ascend to this enclosure from different directions; southwest, northwest and southeast; whilst the southwestern bank features a central entrance gap that’s been widened in recent times. The defensive fosse that protects the bailey also curves around to enclose the northeastern side of the motte, merging into a berm along the ridge edges at the northwest and southeast, with a 2-metre-wide causeway crossing it at the northeastern extremity.

The entire complex showcases the strategic thinking of medieval castle builders, who clearly understood how to maximise the natural defensive qualities of the landscape. An outer bank, reaching up to 5.5 metres wide and 1.7 metres high at the southwest, provides an additional layer of defence. Within the broader defensive network towards the northeast, archaeologists have identified what appears to be a moated site, suggesting this ridge may have supported multiple defensive structures over time. The monument has been under a preservation order since 1940, recognising its significance as one of Wicklow’s important medieval fortifications.