But beneath and behind those trees lies the earthen bank of a ringfort, a type of enclosed farmstead that was the standard unit of rural settlement in early medieval Ireland, built in their thousands between roughly the fifth and twelfth centuries. This one near Kilcullen in mid-Cork measures forty-two metres in diameter, its bank still rising to around 1.2 metres, and the whole circuit, interior included, has been planted with coniferous trees, giving the site an oddly domestic, almost ornamental appearance from a distance.

The fort sits about fifty metres north of the Rylane River, which would have made it a practical location for a farming household, close enough to water without being on the floodplain. What makes it particularly interesting is the possible presence of a souterrain in the interior. A souterrain is an underground stone-lined passage or chamber, typically associated with ringforts, and thought to have served as a place of refuge, cool storage for dairy produce, or both. They are frequently discovered only when the ground above collapses or when archaeological investigation begins, so the tentative language surrounding this one is not unusual; many are identified from surface indications rather than excavation. The earthen bank that defines the enclosure is known in Irish archaeology as a rath, the most common form of ringfort construction, distinguished from a cashel, which uses drystone walling instead.