Most raths, the circular enclosed farmsteads that dot the Irish countryside in their thousands and date broadly from the early medieval period, rely on earthen banks for their enclosure. Here at Garrylaurence, the inner bank is faced on the inside with small lumps of sandstone and on the outside with substantially larger blocks, some exceeding 0.9 metres by 1.2 metres. That combination, stone-built on an earthen base and dressed differently on each face, is noted as unique to the area.

The site sits in pasture on an east-facing slope and takes a roughly circular form, measuring 30.8 metres north to south and 30 metres east to west. There are two banks in total, separated by a shallow fosse, which is the ditch-like depression dug between or around the banks as part of the enclosure system. The inner bank stands about 1.3 metres high; the outer, which is very broad at its base and faced with stone over an earthen core, rises to around 1.4 metres. Traces of a second, outer fosse survive as well. A gap in both banks to the east likely marks the original entrance, and the interior of the enclosure slopes gently downward in that same direction. The deliberate use of large external facing stones on the inner bank suggests a builder who wanted the structure to present a certain solidity outward, something beyond mere agricultural necessity.