This grass-covered earthwork, measuring 20 metres across at its base and standing 4 metres tall, presents something of an archaeological puzzle. Its circular form and domed summit initially led experts to classify it as a prehistoric barrow, but recent archaeological testing has revealed a more complex story.

When archaeologists investigated the site in 2004, they discovered a fosse, or defensive ditch, roughly 5 metres wide surrounding the mound. This feature could support either the barrow theory or suggest something quite different; a medieval motte. The plot thickened when researchers realised the mound sits at the northwestern edge of an even older bivallate enclosure, or rath, complete with two defensive ditches. While the exact relationship between these features wasn’t fully resolved during testing, the evidence points towards the mound being a later addition to the landscape.

The most likely scenario is that this mound represents a motte, a type of medieval fortification consisting of a raised earthwork topped with a wooden or stone keep. It appears to have been constructed after the Iron Age rath had fallen out of use, probably as part of the medieval settlement that grew up around the parish church. A stone-revetted ledge still supports the base of the mound today, along with several mature deciduous trees that have made their home on this ancient earthwork. The site offers a fascinating glimpse into how different communities reused and reshaped the same patch of ground across centuries, each leaving their mark on the Meath landscape.