The entrance gap, just two and a half metres wide, faces south-west, a directional preference shared by many Irish ringforts, though the reasons for it remain a matter of debate among archaeologists.

A ringfort, or rath, is an enclosed farmstead of the early medieval period, roughly 500 to 1100 AD, typically defined by one or more circular banks and ditches that demarcated a family's dwelling space and livestock enclosure from the wider landscape. This example at Gigginstown is sub-circular in plan, measuring approximately 33 metres across its north-east to south-west axis, and is enclosed by an earth and stone bank. The interior slopes gently down towards the west-south-west, and at its centre a scatter of low stone mounds is visible, hinting at structures that once stood there, though nothing survives above ground to indicate their purpose or date. The north-west quadrant of the perimeter has been disturbed, the bank dug into at some point, which is not unusual for sites that have sat at the edge of farmland for centuries. Another ringfort lies roughly 360 metres to the south-east, suggesting this part of Westmeath supported a cluster of early medieval settlement, each farmstead positioned to make use of the elevated ground and open sightlines the ridge provides.