[5]: 10 It appears that it was intended as a frontier castle on the NW border of the Anglo-Norman lordship of Meath and designed to suppress the O'Reilly's of S Breffny.

[5]: 16 [7]: 21–22  One prominent member of the family, Sean Ó Fearghail, Chief of Annaly, is believed to have died here immediately after his inauguration in 1475 and was interred at Abbeylara nearby.

[citation needed] Many myths are attached to the hollow within the motte: some say there is a castle concealed within it, or gold, or perhaps a grain store.

[citation needed] In May 2017 the motte came to nationwide attention when a large hole, about a metre in diameter, was found dug into the side of the mound.

[8] The Motte is a great flat-topped, circular earthen mound, on top of which would have been a timber tower surrounded by a palisade.