These circular enclosures, known variously as raths or ringforts, were the standard form of rural settlement in early medieval Ireland, roughly between the fifth and twelfth centuries. A typical example consisted of one or more banks of earth and stone, sometimes reinforced with a timber palisade, enclosing a farmstead where a family would have lived, kept livestock, and worked the surrounding land. Ireland has an estimated forty to fifty thousand of them, yet each sits in its own specific patch of ground, shaped by the particular contours of the land around it.

The townland name Drumgoney derives from the Irish, with "drum" indicating a ridge or long low hill, a clue that the fort was likely positioned on elevated ground, which was a common preference among those who built such enclosures. That choice was partly practical, offering drainage and visibility, and partly social, since a well-placed rath could signal status to anyone moving through the surrounding countryside. Beyond the name of the townland and the classification of the monument itself, the documentary record for this particular site remains sparse.