Raths, or ringforts, are enclosed farmstead sites typically dating from the early medieval period, between roughly the fifth and twelfth centuries, and several thousand survive across Ireland in varying states of preservation. This one is in fair condition, which in archaeological terms means the enclosing earthwork is still legible in the landscape even if centuries of farming and weather have softened its edges considerably.

What makes the Ballybaun example quietly interesting is the density of features that survive within the enclosure. At the centre of the interior sits a small circular depression, about three metres across, its edge defined by a stone wall now buried under grass. This is thought to be a hut site, the footprint of a dwelling that once stood inside the protected enclosure. Running east to west nearby are two short earthen banks, each around eight metres long, probably the remnants of internal divisions used to separate livestock or domestic areas. Beneath the surface, the site holds further complexity. A souterrain lies beneath the southern part of the enclosing bank, and a linear hollow in the northern interior, aligned roughly northeast to southwest and about eight metres in length, may be the trace of a second souterrain. Souterrains are underground stone-lined passages or chambers, typically associated with ringforts, and were likely used for cool storage or as refuges. The presence of two possible examples at a single modest farmstead site suggests a more elaborate original arrangement than the quiet hillside now implies.