This defensive structure once formed part of an impressive fortification system that controlled the entire triangular island, which measures roughly 700 metres north to south and 220 metres at its widest southern point. Together with a tower house and gatehouse connected by surviving wall sections, this tilting tower helped secure what was clearly a strategically important location in Lady’s Island Lough.

The tower itself is a compact structure measuring just over 5 metres by 3.6 metres, but its defensive features reveal sophisticated medieval military architecture. The ground floor contains a garderobe chute in the northwest wall and a cross-loop window positioned to command the causeway that once connected the island to the mainland some 90 metres away. This causeway, known locally as the togher, was so significant that it gave the lake its alternative name of Lough Togher. The first floor, supported by corbels, featured two slit windows and a barrel vault, whilst the main entrance was positioned about 2 metres above ground level on the southeast side, accessible only by ladder or wooden stairs that could be removed in times of danger.

Archaeological investigation in 2000 found no material evidence outside the northern wall section, but a photograph from around 1900 shows an additional wall running northwest from the tower, creating an enclosed bawn between it and the tower house complex. Today, visitors can still trace the defensive perimeter: a 6-metre section of wall extends northwest from the gatehouse whilst a longer 13-metre stretch, reaching heights of 3.3 metres, runs southeast from the tower house. Despite its severe tilt and partial collapse, this solitary tower remains a testament to the island’s medieval importance and the engineering skills of its builders.