This grass-covered hillock rises seven metres high, with a flattened summit measuring roughly 11 metres north to south and 7 metres east to west. The entire structure spans about 55 metres by 40 metres at its base, forming what archaeologists recognise as a classic example of a Norman motte; the earthwork foundation of a medieval castle that would have once supported a wooden tower or palisade.

What makes this site particularly intriguing is the defensive earthwork located about 20 metres to the southeast. Here, medieval builders cut a substantial ditch across a low ridge that extends for approximately 100 metres in a southeast to south-southwest direction. The ditch, which measures three metres wide at the top and narrows to 1.5 metres at its base with a depth of 0.7 metres, features a deliberate entrance gap at its southeastern end. This additional fortification suggests the site held considerable strategic importance, likely controlling movement through the local landscape.

Though the wooden structures that once crowned this earthen mound have long since vanished, the earthworks themselves remain remarkably well preserved. These Norman mottes, introduced to Ireland following the Anglo-Norman invasion of 1169, served as both military strongholds and administrative centres, helping to establish Norman control over newly conquered territories. The Clonymeath motte stands as a tangible reminder of this turbulent period in Irish history, when the landscape itself was reshaped to serve the defensive and political needs of a new ruling class.