The site underwent excavation by the Office of Public Works in 1964, revealing a complex fortification that once covered about a third of an acre. The motte, measuring 15 metres across at its base and tapering to 8 metres at its flat top, rises 3 metres high and once supported a wooden tower surrounded by a timber palisade. An oval bailey, roughly 60 by 50 metres, extends from the motte, with remnants of a smaller mound positioned along its southeastern perimeter.

Historical documentation of the site dates back to 1758, when Wright illustrated the castle complete with an enclosing bank that wrapped around the entire fortification. Aerial photographs taken by St Joseph clearly show both the enclosure’s outline and the two mounds, providing valuable evidence of the castle’s original layout. The 1964 excavation uncovered the defensive elements that made this fortress formidable: a wide fosse, or defensive ditch, surrounded the bailey along with an outer bank, whilst the smaller secondary mound had its own protective fosse.

Artefacts recovered during the excavation paint a picture of medieval military life at the castle. Fragments of medieval pottery suggest everyday domestic activities, whilst two iron arrowheads speak to the site’s defensive purpose. Perhaps most intriguing is an iron rowel spur, the type worn by mounted knights and cavalry, confirming the site’s thirteenth-century occupation and its connection to the Anglo-Norman military elite who controlled much of eastern Ireland during this period.