That claim transforms what might otherwise seem an unremarkable earthwork into something considerably more loaded. The mound is stone-faced and subcircular in shape, measuring roughly six metres east to west and six and a half metres north to south, rising to a height of just under two metres. Its surface is kept level by a scarp, the earthen step or ledge cut into the slope to hold the structure steady against the gradient.

The target of the alleged bombardment was Castle Donovan, a tower house whose ruins stand in the same general area of West Cork. Tower houses were the dominant form of fortified residence in late medieval Ireland, typically square or rectangular stone structures of several storeys, and Castle Donovan is among the more notable surviving examples in the region. The tradition of the mound serving as a siege position is unverified in documentary terms, but it is not implausible as a piece of local memory. Earthen gun platforms, sometimes called artillery mounts, were occasionally thrown up during conflicts in early modern Ireland, when cannon became a deciding factor in reducing fortified strongholds. The construction here, earth over stone and faced with further stonework, would have provided a stable base for a heavy gun and a clear line of sight westward toward any fortification in the vicinity.