The shape is the first thing that catches the attention: not the full circle most people associate with ancient enclosures, but a rough D, about 33 metres across east to west, as though someone drew half a ring and called it complete.

The enclosure is defined by a bank of earth and stone that still stands 2.6 metres high in places, which is a considerable presence for something that has been sitting in a field for, in all likelihood, many centuries. A gap six metres wide breaks the bank on the south-east side, the probable original entrance. What makes the site a little more puzzling is a separate, lower bank running parallel to the main enclosure on the southern side. At 18 metres long and only 0.6 metres high, it is modest, but its deliberate alignment suggests it was not incidental. Enclosures of this general type, often called ringforts or raths when circular, were built across Ireland from roughly the early medieval period onwards and typically served as enclosed farmsteads, the bank and any associated ditch providing security for people, livestock, and stores. The D-shape here, with its straight southern edge, may reflect the lie of the land or the needs of whoever built it, and the external bank adds a layer of organisation that goes slightly beyond the basic form. The site was documented as part of an archaeological survey of the Ballinrobe district, covering the areas around Lough Mask and Lough Carra, published in 1994.