Enclosures of this kind are among the most common yet least understood features of the Irish countryside. They typically consist of a roughly circular or oval area defined by an earthen bank and ditch, and may represent the remains of a ringfort, a defended farmstead of the early medieval period, or in some cases a much older prehistoric boundary. The name Danesrath is itself suggestive: "rath" is the Irish word for a ringfort, and the prefix "Danes" reflects a widespread folk tradition of attributing ancient earthworks to the Vikings, regardless of their actual date or builders.