This large oval earthwork measures approximately 64 metres from northwest to southeast and 56 metres from northeast to southwest, with fragmentary traces of its original defensive bank still visible. The bank, constructed from earth and stone, stands about 4.2 metres wide and 0.4 metres high, though centuries of agricultural activity have taken their toll. Along the northern and eastern sections, the original defensive structure has been repurposed and incorporated into later field boundaries, a common fate for many ancient earthworks across Ireland.

The most intriguing feature of the site sits immediately inside the northwestern section of the bank: a circular mound rising about 2.5 metres high. With a base diameter of roughly 12 metres narrowing to 9 metres at its summit, this steep-sided feature remains something of a mystery. While it could represent the remains of a timber tower or gatehouse that once controlled access to the ringwork, its exact purpose hasn’t been definitively established. Such mounds within ringworks sometimes mark the location of a motte, though this example is considerably smaller than typical motte-and-bailey fortifications.

These earthen fortifications were particularly common in Ireland during the Anglo-Norman period, serving as quickly constructed defensive positions that could control territory and protect settlers. Unlike the grand stone castles that would follow, ringworks like Bracklon were practical military installations, often built within weeks or months of arrival in a new area. Today, the site stands as a subtle reminder of medieval power struggles in the Irish midlands, its grassy banks and mysterious mound holding centuries of unwritten history.