It has been there long enough to appear on the 1897 edition of the Ordnance Survey 25-inch map, and considerably longer before that. A ring-barrow is a type of prehistoric funerary monument, typically consisting of a central mound or platform enclosed by a surrounding ditch and outer bank, built to mark and protect a burial. This one at Ballyvouden is not dramatic to the eye, but it is remarkably intact.

When the Archaeological Survey of Ireland recorded the site in 2008, their measurements revealed a monument that retains most of its original form. The circular earthwork has a diameter of 16 metres. A scarp, essentially a short sharp change in ground level, rises to 0.75 metres and defines the central area. Outside that runs a fosse, the encircling ditch, measuring 4.55 metres wide with a base width of 2 metres and a depth of 0.65 metres; it remains legible around most of the circuit, from the south-east, round through west and north to north-north-east. An outer bank, 3 metres wide, follows the same arc. Within the southern quadrant of the interior, a raised oval area measuring roughly 3 metres north to south and 5.5 metres east to west may represent the remains of a small ring-ditch, adding another possible layer of prehistoric activity to the site. A second ring-barrow, catalogued separately, lies just 50 metres to the south, suggesting this corner of Ballyvouden was once a place of some ceremonial or commemorative significance. The site sits 170 metres south-east of the Glenatrahaun Stream and has been confirmed as well preserved on aerial photography taken between 2000 and 2018.

The monument sits in working farmland, so access would require landowner permission. The ground is described as wet and unimproved, which means appropriate footwear matters more than the season, though drier spells in late spring or summer make the surrounding fields easier to cross. A field boundary runs immediately to the west of the monument, which can serve as a useful reference point when trying to orient yourself on the ground. The earthwork is subtle enough that knowing the dimensions in advance helps; at 16 metres across with banks of well under a metre in height, you are looking for a gentle rise and a shallow surrounding depression rather than anything immediately conspicuous.