Known in Irish as Dun-Cluain-Phuc, meaning “the fortress of the lonely spirit”, this ancient stronghold appears on the 1906 Ordnance Survey map as a large hillfort with a rock-cut defensive ditch, or fosse, protecting its western approach. The site features a causewayed entrance gap to the west and a possible second entrance to the east, where early 20th-century surveyors noted a small rectangular building. Additional defensive earthworks, functioning like a barbican, once protected the eastern entrance; a sophisticated arrangement that speaks to the site’s strategic importance.

Local tradition holds that this was once a formidable fortress of the O’Moore family, who dominated this region of Gaelic Ireland. According to the History of Queen’s County, a castle once stood near the edge of the circular summit, its foundations containing two chambers, with the principal room measuring approximately 15 by 14 feet. The 1906 OS map depicts a small square building resembling a tower house in the southeast quadrant of the hillfort’s interior, though neither this structure nor the rectangular eastern building appear on earlier maps from 1838, suggesting they may have been relatively recent additions or perhaps only became visible through later archaeological investigation.

The site’s documented history reveals its changing fortunes through the turbulent 16th and 17th centuries. Located within the Gaelic lordship of Farryn O’Kalle, the lands of “Powkiscastell” were leased to Sir John Travers in 1551, marking the beginning of English colonial interest in the property. By 1569, the Crown had transferred the lease of “Cloghpowke” to Francis Cosby, including the rectory of nearby Ballequillane. The Cosby family maintained their connection to the area, with Alexander Cosby of Stradbally holding the lease in 1593. Today, dense vegetation obscures much of the monument’s interior, making it impossible to identify any visible remains of the castle described in historical accounts, though the earthworks and defensive features of this ancient hillfort continue to mark the landscape.