What looks at first like a slight rise in the ground is in fact the remnant of a rath, the Irish term for a ringfort, one of the most common monument types in the Irish landscape. These were typically enclosed farmsteads of the early medieval period, home to a single family or small community, their boundaries defined by a raised earthen bank and, often, an outer ditch.

This particular example measures approximately 28 metres north to south and 26 metres east to west, enclosed by an earthen bank that still survives to around 0.7 metres in height. The north-western to north-eastern arc of the bank has been levelled, likely the result of agricultural activity over centuries, and the site as a whole is heavily overgrown. Its dimensions are modest but not unusual for a rath; the form is consistent with countless others recorded across Connacht, each one representing a domestic world that has otherwise almost entirely vanished. The surrounding area, close to Lough Mask and Lough Carra, is particularly rich in such remains, a reflection of how densely settled this part of Mayo was during the early medieval period.