These circular enclosures, known in Irish as raths, were the most common form of rural settlement in early medieval Ireland, typically consisting of an earthen bank and ditch enclosing a farmstead. Thousands survive across the country in varying states of preservation, yet each one represents a specific moment of occupation, a particular family or community that chose a particular patch of ground, probably between the seventh and twelfth centuries.

The Cloghaun More example is, for now, something of a blank in the documentary record. No specific excavation reports, historical accounts, or detailed surveys appear to be publicly available for this site. What can be said is that Clare is well supplied with such monuments, many of them tucked into field corners or partially obscured by later agricultural activity. The townland name itself, derived from the Irish meaning something close to a stony or rocky place, hints at the kind of terrain that early settlers often favoured, elevated, well-drained ground with clear sightlines and proximity to workable soil.