This is a ringfort, one of the most common archaeological monuments in Ireland, yet one that most people pass without recognising for what it is. Ringforts, known variously as raths or lios depending on regional tradition, were enclosed homesteads typically dating from the early medieval period, roughly between the fifth and twelfth centuries. Their earthworks defined a domestic space, offering protection for a family and their livestock rather than any serious military fortification.

This particular example, straddling the townlands of Kilglass and Cloonagh, measures approximately 32 metres in diameter. Its northern side is bounded by a low bank of earth and stone, about 3.2 metres wide and 0.4 metres high, while the remainder of the perimeter is defined by a scarp, a cut or drop in the ground surface, standing between 1.2 and 1.4 metres high. At the north-west, the base of that scarp is accompanied by a shallow fosse, essentially a ditch, measuring 1.8 metres wide and 0.3 metres deep. Across the circuit there are several breaks and depressions: a gap of 4.5 metres in the northern bank, and smaller depressions at the north-east, south-south-west, and west-south-west. The wider gap at the north is the most likely candidate for the original entrance, though the smaller depressions may reflect later disturbance or simply the slow work of centuries of agricultural use on the surrounding pasture.