The site consists of a large, roughly square platform that would have once held buildings, surrounded by defensive earthworks. A raised bank encircles the platform, with a wide external fosse, or water-filled ditch, measuring about 50 metres across. Today, scrub vegetation has claimed much of the area, giving it an almost forgotten appearance that belies its historical significance.

The fosse remains most intact along the southern side, where visitors can still clearly make out the original medieval defensive feature. Portions of the eastern and western sides also survive, though time and nature have softened their edges. These water-filled ditches were a common feature of medieval sites in Ireland, particularly from the 13th and 14th centuries, serving both defensive and drainage purposes whilst also acting as a status symbol for their owners.

Moated sites like this one at Sallymount were typically associated with Anglo-Norman settlers who arrived in Ireland during the 12th and 13th centuries. They often marked the centres of manorial estates, with the raised platform hosting a manor house, outbuildings, and sometimes a small chapel. The surrounding moat provided security in uncertain times whilst the elevated position helped with drainage in Ireland’s damp climate. Though now overgrown and peaceful, this site once buzzed with the daily activities of medieval life; farmers bringing in harvests, craftspeople at work, and the lord’s household managing the surrounding lands.