The site shows clear evidence of medieval fortification, with a steep scarp measuring 4 metres wide and 3 metres high defining the western to southeastern edges. The central and southern portions of the mound, which spans approximately 32 metres north to south and 30 metres east to west, bear the scars of extensive quarrying that has significantly altered the original structure.

The monument presents a patchwork of distinct features that hint at its complex history. The northwestern sector appears disturbed and uneven, whilst the northeastern portion preserves a plateau measuring roughly 26 by 18 metres. A short section of bank, 8 metres wide and 1.5 metres high, remains visible at the southeastern edge. Interestingly, the site doesn’t appear on the first Ordnance Survey map from 1840, but by the 1904 edition it’s clearly marked as an oval mound measuring about 52 by 35 metres, complete with a quarry immediately to the south and a trackway leading to it.

Writing in 1913, local historian Flynn documented the site with both plan and section drawings, noting that Garranacanty sits at the terminus of a range of gravel hills stretching from the northwest to northeast of Tipperary town. He described how the hill’s extremity was defended at its summit by a well-defined fosse and rampart, with the summit itself showing evidence of attempts to construct either a mound or an enclosure. These defensive earthworks likely date to the medieval period when such motte fortifications were common throughout Ireland, serving as strongholds for Norman settlers or local Irish lords adapting Norman military architecture.