The site commands excellent views in all directions, a strategic advantage that would have been vital for its original inhabitants. Though Pierce Butler of Callan, County Kilkenny, owned these lands in 1640, historical records from the Civil Survey of 1654;6 make no mention of either the castle or bawn, suggesting they may have been built after this period or perhaps were already in ruins by then.

The bawn itself forms a compact defensive enclosure, measuring approximately 11 metres from north to south and 8 metres from east to west, with walls about 1.3 metres thick. These substantial walls were designed to work in conjunction with an L;plan fortified house that sits to the north. Today, concrete walls have been built against the inner face of the southern wall, a modern addition that speaks to the site’s continued use over the centuries. The defensive wall extends westward from the northwest corner of the house for just under 3 metres before turning south for 11 metres, then east for 8 metres, though much of the original structure has been lost to time.

The relationship between the bawn and the house reveals clever defensive planning. The bawn wall likely connected back to the eastern face of the house, either meeting it north of the main ground;floor doorway or at the northeast corner. Interestingly, the northern side of the house may have stood outside the bawn’s protection entirely, relying instead on the natural drop of the terrain for defence. This practical approach to fortification, using both constructed walls and natural features, was typical of Irish defensive architecture during the plantation period.