This impressive earthen mound rises between six and eight metres above its surrounding defensive ditch, with a base spanning approximately 30 metres in diameter. The wide, flat-bottomed fosse that encircles most of the structure measures about four metres across and would have been roughly 1.5 metres deep, though it’s no longer visible along the southeastern to southwestern sections.

The summit of the motte, which originally formed a flat platform about 15 metres across, shows clear signs of later quarrying activity that has altered its original profile. These artificial hills were typically crowned with wooden palisades and towers during the medieval period, serving as strategic strongholds for Norman lords following their arrival in Ireland during the 12th century. The defensive ditch, or fosse, would have been a formidable obstacle for any attackers attempting to scale the steep sides of the mound.

Local tradition holds that an urn was discovered here in the 19th century, as noted by antiquarian G.H. Kinahan in 1882. Such finds aren’t uncommon at these sites, as many Norman fortifications were built atop or near earlier archaeological features. Today, the motte at Pallis Lower stands covered in grass and scrub, a quiet reminder of the turbulent medieval period when such fortifications played a crucial role in establishing Norman control over the Irish countryside.