The site occupies a commanding position in rolling grassland with views stretching in all directions, except where the land rises to the north. Today, the field still bears the evocative name ‘Castle Meadows’, though no stone walls stand above ground to hint at its former grandeur.

The earthworks form a roughly square enclosure measuring about 55 by 54 metres, defined by an earthen bank approximately three metres wide and standing 60 centimetres high on the exterior. A fosse, or defensive ditch, runs along the eastern and southern sides, with an entrance opening to the south. Inside, the space is carefully organised into rectangular platforms bounded by smaller banks, particularly visible in the southeast and southwest corners, whilst the northern section remains a flat, open area. Archaeological fieldwork in 1987 identified these features, along with a trackway connecting to additional earthworks about 80 metres to the southeast.

Historical records provide tantalising glimpses of the site’s past. The Down Survey maps of 1655-6 show a castle here called ‘Gragicaw’ in what was then the parish of Mayne, with the intriguing notation ‘Countess of Ormond Protestant’ beside the placename. The accompanying terrier, however, lists the proprietor as the ‘Earle of Ormond’, noted as an Irish Papist; a reminder of the complex religious and political dynamics of 17th century Ireland. Though the masonry has long since vanished, these earthen banks and ditches remain as subtle but enduring testament to the castle that once controlled this strategic position above the Nore.