What appears at first glance to be an ordinary field boundary resolves, on closer inspection, into a near-circular enclosure roughly thirty metres across, its perimeter defined by a bank of earth and stone that varies in width from under three metres to nearly five and a half, and in height from just over half a metre to about one and a half. A two-metre entrance gap survives at the north-east, along with a ramp suggesting deliberate access rather than simple erosion or collapse.

Ringforts, or raths, were the typical farmstead enclosures of early medieval Ireland, built and occupied roughly between the fifth and twelfth centuries. They were not primarily defensive structures in any military sense; the enclosing bank was more likely intended to mark ownership, control livestock, and provide a degree of security against opportunistic raids. The Clonerkin example is notable for its lack of a fosse, the external ditch that commonly accompanies such banks elsewhere. Whether this reflects the original design or later modification is unclear, but it gives the earthwork a softer, less assertive outline than many comparable sites. A modern field boundary now cuts across the interior from north to south, a reminder of how farming practice has continued to reshape the landscape around and through these ancient enclosures. A second ringfort lies approximately two hundred metres to the south-east, suggesting this part of Wicklow once supported a modest cluster of early medieval settlement activity.