It appears as a cropmark, one of those subtle colour variations in growing grain or grass that betray buried archaeology beneath. Where soil compressed by an ancient ditch or bank alters the moisture and nutrient content of the ground above, crops ripen differently, and from altitude the outline of a long-vanished structure can suddenly become readable. In this case, what the aerial photograph reveals is a sub-circular enclosure measuring roughly 40 metres north to south and 38 metres east to west.

Cropmark enclosures of this rough scale and shape are a familiar but still poorly understood feature of the Irish landscape. They most commonly date from the prehistoric or early medieval periods, and may represent the remains of a ringfort, a type of enclosed farmstead that was the dominant settlement form in Ireland from roughly the fifth to the twelfth century, though earlier prehistoric enclosures can produce similar signatures. The aerial photograph that captured this one, taken as part of the Cambridge University Committee for Aerial Photography collection, also hints at something further: suggestions of an outer enclosure to the south, which, if confirmed, would indicate a more complex site than the single ring alone implies. A double enclosure could point to a higher-status settlement, or simply reflect different phases of use over a long period.