The main feature is an almost perfectly circular mound, rising about 6 metres high with a base diameter of 31 metres that narrows to roughly 11 metres at its summit. The steep sides of this motte would have made it formidable to any would-be attackers, whilst providing its defenders with commanding views across the surrounding countryside.

To the west of the mound lies a crescent-shaped bailey, separated from the motte by a wide but shallow ditch, or fosse, measuring 7.5 metres across but only 0.3 metres deep. The bailey itself stretches up to 38 metres in length and 10.5 metres at its widest point, standing about 5 metres high and defined by a natural escarpment. Interestingly, there’s no evidence of a defensive ditch surrounding either the motte or the bailey, suggesting the builders relied on the natural topography and the steep earthworks for defence.

Historical records add intriguing details about the site’s past. Thomas Wright’s 1758 illustration depicts a hexagonal structure crowning the summit of the mound, and remnants of this construction can still be glimpsed today; a basal course of stone remains visible on the east-northeast side, whilst a slight narrow bank marks the southwest. These traces hint at what was likely a timber or stone keep that once commanded this strategic position along the River Fane, a silent witness to centuries of Irish history.