These are not dramatic earthworks, but they are coherent, and their layout tells a more complete story of the friary than the standing stonework alone.

Dominican friaries of the 13th century were not simply places of worship; they were functioning economic units that required managed land, water, and food supply. The earthworks at Lorrha appear to reflect exactly that kind of organisation. To the north of the friary, the linear features seem to connect with a nearby stream, and are thought to relate to a mill recorded in the vicinity. The depressions may represent mill ponds, or alternatively fish ponds, which were a common feature of medieval monastic and friary precincts across Ireland and Britain, providing a reliable source of protein, particularly during fasting periods. To the south, the earthworks carry a different character and may be associated with medieval settlement rather than the friary's agricultural or industrial workings, suggesting that the landscape around Lorrha was organised and inhabited in ways that extended well beyond the friary walls themselves.