This castle motte, first documented in detail during the 1940s, consists of a raised mound measuring roughly 31 metres from east to west and 27 metres across. The earthwork rises about 1.5 metres at its highest point, with the top sloping gradually from west to east. Originally, a defensive ditch, or fosse, completely encircled the mound, though time has erased traces of it along the northern and eastern sides.

What makes this monument particularly intriguing is its remarkable preservation despite centuries of exposure to the elements. The surviving portions of the fosse on the western and southern sides still clearly define the original defensive perimeter, whilst modern technology has given us new ways to appreciate its layout; Digital Globe aerial photographs reveal the site’s features with striking clarity. These satellite images confirm what archaeologist O’Kelly observed back in 1942 and 1943, showing that the basic structure remains largely intact.

Castle mottes like this one were typically constructed by Anglo-Norman settlers in the 12th and 13th centuries as quick defensive positions that could be built using local labour and materials. The raised platform would have originally supported a wooden tower or palisade, creating a formidable defensive position despite its modest size. Today, this unassuming earthwork in Oldtown stands as a tangible connection to the complex period of Norman settlement in Ireland, when such fortifications dotted the landscape as symbols of conquest and control.