This impressive earthen mound, measuring 27 metres across at its base and tapering to 13 metres at its flat summit, reaches five metres in height. A defensive ditch, or fosse, encircles the structure; though now only about half a metre deep and three to four metres wide, it would have presented a more formidable barrier in its heyday. The harbour itself lies just 240 to 360 metres to the east and south, a strategic position that would have allowed the castle’s occupants to monitor maritime traffic and control access to the inland territories.

The motte’s history is tied to the complex web of Norman feudalism that reshaped Ireland in the early 13th century. Around 1220 to 1230, the Roche family of Fernegenel granted the parish of Ardcolm to the Sinotts as a sub-infeudation, essentially creating a feudal sub-tenancy. This arrangement suggests the motte may have served as the Sinotts’ principal stronghold, or caput, from which they administered their newly acquired lands and collected rents from tenant farmers. Such mottes were typical of the Anglo-Norman conquest period, serving as quickly constructed fortifications that could be erected using local labour and materials.

Today, the mound sits overgrown and weathered, its military significance long since faded into the realm of archaeology and local memory. Yet its substantial earthworks remain clearly visible in the landscape, offering visitors a tangible connection to the medieval period when Norman lords and their Irish vassals carved out territories along Wexford’s strategic coastline. The site forms part of County Wexford’s rich archaeological heritage, documented in detail by researchers like Brooks and Colfer, whose work helps piece together the complex story of medieval lordship in this corner of Ireland.