A cashel, for those unfamiliar with the term, is a dry-stone enclosure of early medieval Irish origin, typically used to define a sacred or defended space. Here, that boundary has partially survived, and it is most clearly readable at the north-eastern entrance, where the bank beneath it rises visibly from the ground.

The remains sit on the eastern slopes of Carrickgollogan, a hill in south County Dublin, and the church itself is dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel, a dedication recorded by O'Brien in 1988. The combination of a cashel-type enclosure with a medieval church is characteristic of sites where Christian communities built over or alongside much earlier sacred boundaries, layering centuries of use into a single landscape. The circular form of the enclosure, far larger than a simple farmyard or garden wall, suggests this was a significant ecclesiastical site in its time, even if it has since faded from wider attention.

The site lies on the slopes above the Rathmichael area of south Dublin, within reasonable reach of the city. The north-eastern entrance is the natural approach and the best place to pause, since the bank and cashel-like walling are most legible there. The ground slopes and the stonework can be uneven underfoot, so sturdy footwear is sensible. Visiting in late autumn or winter, when vegetation has died back, tends to reveal the line of the enclosure wall more clearly than the summer months, when growth can obscure the lower courses of stone.