What remains today is a small fragment of wall perched above a deep, wooded stream glen, but the surrounding earthworks reveal the sophisticated engineering of the original fortress. The castle’s builders took full advantage of the site’s natural defences; with steep precipices to the south and east, they needed only to add dry-stone revetments along these edges whilst focusing their efforts on fortifying the more vulnerable landward approaches with substantial ramparts and a defensive ditch.

The main defensive features showcase remarkable adaptation of the terrain. The fosse, or defensive ditch, varies from 2.7 to 3.6 metres wide and deepens as it approaches the eastern gully, whilst the rampart rises an impressive 3.6 to 5.5 metres high on its outer face, with a base thickness of approximately 7.6 metres. The original gateway, its 1.8-metre-wide entrance ramp still visible, lies to the northeast of the castle ruins. On either side of this entrance, shallow oval depressions mark the locations of former buildings or house rings on the platform, with one abutting the precipice wall to the southeast and another positioned northwest of the gateway.

The upper fort occupies a carefully modified knoll, its summit levelled to create an oval platform measuring roughly 30 metres east to west and 27 metres north to south. This elevated position, surrounded by bold scarps rising 6 to 10 metres high, provided both defensive advantage and commanding views across the glen towards Slievenamuck valley and the Tipperary plains beyond. At the centre of this platform, the castle tower’s foundation remains; a solid piece of masonry standing 2.7 metres high, 4.5 metres long, and 1.8 metres thick, offering just a hint of the formidable structure that once dominated this strategic hilltop position.