By the time of the Civil Survey in 1654-6, it was already recorded as ‘the site of a demolished castle’, suggesting its destruction occurred sometime during the tumultuous centuries of medieval Ireland. Today, what remains is an intriguing earthwork that offers clues to its defensive past.

The site comprises a square enclosure measuring 11.5 metres north to south and 9 metres east to west, defined by a substantial earth and stone bank. This flat-topped rampart, roughly 3.2 metres wide and standing between 1 and 2 metres high, would have formed the primary defensive barrier. Outside this bank runs a fosse, or defensive ditch, of similar width but only 0.4 metres deep today; likely much deeper when first constructed. A possible causewayed entrance at the southwest corner would have provided controlled access to the interior, where traces of a possible castle structure have been identified.

This type of fortification, known as a ringwork castle, represents an early form of Norman defensive architecture in Ireland. Its location appears strategic, positioned near a medieval road that runs to the north, which would have been an important route during the Middle Ages. The earthwork’s modest dimensions and construction style suggest it may have served as a minor lordship centre or outpost, controlling movement along the nearby road whilst providing a defensible residence for a local lord or their representative.