The bank itself rises to a maximum height of two and a half metres and traces out a diameter of thirty-seven metres, dimensions that are fairly typical of the ringfort form, though the sheer preservation of the earthwork here gives it a particular presence in the landscape.

Ringforts, known in Irish as raths when constructed from earth rather than stone, were the standard farmstead enclosure of early medieval Ireland, built and occupied roughly between the fifth and twelfth centuries. They served as defended homesteads, the bank and its original accompanying ditch discouraging cattle raiders and wolves rather than armies. The Gowlane example sits in what is described as a commanding position relative to the stream beside it, suggesting its builders chose the site with some deliberation, balancing the practical need for water access against the defensive advantage of elevated ground. Two gaps in the bank, to the north-west and south-east, likely represent original entrance points, possibly later widened by agricultural activity over the intervening centuries. Particularly intriguing is the possible presence of a souterrain in the interior. A souterrain is an underground stone-lined passage or chamber, often associated with ringforts and thought to have served for cool storage, refuge, or both. The tentative identification here has not been fully confirmed, but it adds a layer of archaeological interest to what might otherwise seem like a simple earthwork.