But the bank, roughly a metre high and faced with stone on its earthen core, encloses a space that measures about 31 metres north to south and 32.6 metres east to west, which places it firmly in the range of an early medieval ringfort, or rath. A gap on the western side marks what was likely the original entrance, and the interior slopes gently down towards the south-east, opening in orientation towards a glen below.

Ringforts were the most common form of enclosed settlement in early medieval Ireland, typically serving as farmsteads for a single family or small kin group, with the bank and sometimes an outer ditch providing a degree of protection for livestock and household. What makes this particular site more than a simple earthwork is the presence of a souterrain to the south of the interior. A souterrain is an underground passage or chamber, usually constructed from stone, that was dug beneath or adjacent to a ringfort. Their precise function is debated, but they are generally thought to have served as places of refuge, cool storage for food, or both. Their construction required considerable effort and planning, suggesting that the household here was reasonably established and had good reason to invest in concealed, subterranean space.