The castle’s strategic position allowed its builders to command views across the river valleys to the north and east, whilst the poorly drained marshland provided a natural defensive barrier against potential attackers. Today, visitors can still trace the impressive earthworks that once formed this formidable stronghold.

The main feature of the site is a steep-sided, flat-topped mound that would have originally supported a wooden tower or keep. This motte is surrounded by a deep, wide fosse (defensive ditch) and a substantial external earthen bank that curves from east through south and west to the west-northwest. A crescent-shaped bailey, where the castle’s domestic buildings and workshops would have stood, extends from the northwest around to the east at a slightly elevated level. Remnants of an outer defensive ditch and a smaller bank can still be seen in the southeastern section, whilst a gap in the west-northwest portion of the enclosing bank likely marks the original entrance where it meets the bailey area.

The castle sits within a landscape rich with medieval heritage; Lickbla church and its graveyard lie just 50 metres to the west, whilst a watermill can be found 415 metres to the west-northwest. Lady Well, possibly a holy well associated with the medieval church, is located 410 metres to the south. The Archaeological Survey of Ireland has documented these earthworks in detail, providing valuable insights into how the Anglo-Normans adapted their castle-building techniques to Ireland’s distinctive landscape and defensive needs.