This water-filled ditch measures roughly eight metres wide and one metre deep, forming a natural barrier around the base of the rock. To the north of the tower house lies a bawn, a fortified courtyard typical of Irish castle complexes, measuring 30 metres from north to south and 28 metres from east to west. The western side of this enclosure is marked by an earthen bank two to three metres wide and rising between 30 and 60 centimetres high, whilst traces of a stone wall about 90 centimetres thick can still be seen along the eastern boundary. The northern edge is defined by a scarp in the landscape.

Historical records from 1824 note that two towers once guarded this bawn, though today only a fragment of one remains, standing to the west of the main tower house. The Reverend R.H. Ryland, writing in his comprehensive survey of Waterford’s antiquities, documented both structures when they were more complete, providing valuable insight into the original defensive layout of the site. Within the bawn itself, the foundations of several houses can still be traced, though these are likely from a more recent period than the medieval fortifications.

This combination of tower house, fosse, and bawn represents a classic example of late medieval Irish fortification, where the main residential tower was protected by multiple layers of defence. The site demonstrates how these structures evolved to meet both defensive needs and the practical requirements of daily life, with the bawn serving as a secure area for livestock, storage, and auxiliary buildings that supported the tower house’s inhabitants.