This earthwork, measuring 35 metres across at its base and narrowing to 22 metres at the top, represents one of the earliest forms of castle construction brought to Ireland by the Anglo-Normans in the late 12th century. The mound is encircled by a shallow fosse, now waterlogged on its northern side, which would have provided additional defence for whatever timber structure once crowned its summit.

Archaeological evidence suggests this wasn’t simply a standalone fortification. Damage to the southeastern face has revealed large stones with lime mortar still clinging to their surfaces, possibly the remnants of a mortared wall that served as a revetment for the earthen mound, though when this stone facing was added remains uncertain. Aerial photographs from 1966 and more recent digital imaging have revealed a complex of linear water-filled ditches radiating from the motte’s base, along with traces of what may have been a D-shaped bailey to the east and potentially a second bailey area to the northeast. The slightly elevated, dry ground northeast of the motte stands out distinctly from the wet, marshy character of the surrounding fields.

The landscape around the motte tells its own story of continuous occupation and use. Post-medieval cultivation ridges run northeast to southwest across the surface of the former bailey, while an old laneway marked on the 1837 Ordnance Survey map once skirted the mound’s northern base, leading towards a corn mill 560 metres away. Today, a post-1700 field fence cuts across the motte at its southwestern edge, and drainage ditches crisscross the surrounding fields; evidence of centuries of agricultural activity that followed the motte’s military obsolescence. For those interested in exploring this earthwork further, a 3D model is available at https://skfb.ly/oxBGZ.