These circular enclosures, known in Irish as raths, were the farmsteads of early medieval Ireland, typically defined by one or more earthen banks and ditches that enclosed a dwelling area. They were built and occupied roughly between the fifth and twelfth centuries, and tens of thousands of them once dotted the island. The fact that so many survive at all, even as low, grass-covered banks, owes much to a persistent folk belief that they were inhabited by supernatural forces and that disturbing them brought misfortune.

The specific history of the Ardhoom example, including any detail about who built it, when it was in use, or what condition it is currently in, is not yet available in the public record. What can be said with confidence is that Mayo was densely settled during the early medieval period, and a rath in this part of Connacht would have been a working agricultural enclosure, possibly home to a farming family of middling status. The surrounding land would have been managed for cattle, the primary measure of wealth in early Irish society. The ringfort would have provided both a symbolic marker of territorial ownership and a practical barrier against opportunistic livestock raids.