The main enclosure forms an oval area measuring 41 metres north to south and 44 metres east to west, defined by substantial earthen and stone banks that still rise over three metres high on their external faces. These banks, averaging 11.5 metres in width, would have presented a formidable barrier to any would-be attackers approaching the castle that once stood within.

The site’s defensive complexity becomes apparent through its multiple rings of fosses (defensive ditches) and banks that extend outward from the central enclosure. The innermost fosse runs from southwest through north to northeast, reaching depths of 2.3 metres, though parts are now inaccessible due to overgrowth, particularly at the northwest and north-northeast sections. Where the ground naturally falls away towards the water-filled sections of the fosse on the northeastern to southeastern sides, the medieval builders wisely omitted artificial defences, letting the terrain provide its own protection. The middle ring of defences includes a well-preserved bank that remains particularly steep on its exterior face, paired with a wide, flat-bottomed fosse that fills with stagnant water along its northern and eastern stretches.

The outermost defensive ring, though more eroded than its inner counterparts, can still be traced around much of the site’s perimeter. Parts of this outer bank have been incorporated into later field boundaries, particularly from the west-northwest to northeast, whilst a thin, tree-lined remnant continues from east-northeast to southeast. Historical accounts from P. O’Flanagan’s work in 1930 note that fragmentary masonry remains and foundation traces could still be identified within this trivallate (three-ringed) enclosure, suggesting the substantial nature of the castle that once commanded this strategic position in the Tipperary landscape.