Enclosures of this kind are among the most common archaeological features in Ireland, ranging from prehistoric ringforts, which were earthen or stone-built circular enclosures used as farmsteads, to later ecclesiastical or field boundaries, and their sheer number means that many remain only partially documented. The fact that a monument has been formally identified and catalogued is itself significant; it places Kilcow on a map of known archaeological sites that stretches across every county in the country.

Kilcow is a small townland in Kerry, and like much of the county it sits within a landscape shaped by thousands of years of human activity. Kerry has an exceptionally dense concentration of early medieval and prehistoric monuments, partly because its upland and coastal terrain was settled intensively during periods when lowland areas were more heavily forested or waterlogged. An enclosure in this context could represent the remains of a rath or cashel, the latter being a stone-walled equivalent of the earthen ringfort, or it might mark a boundary of a quite different character and period altogether. Without more detailed survey information, the specifics of this particular site, its form, dimensions, construction method, and probable date, remain open questions.