It is a rath, the Irish term for a ringfort, one of the most common monument types in the Irish landscape, yet this one has been swallowed so thoroughly by vegetation that it is now considered inaccessible. That condition, while frustrating for the curious, is itself a kind of preservation.

Ringforts were typically constructed during the early medieval period, roughly between the fifth and twelfth centuries, and functioned as enclosed farmsteads, the earthen bank and accompanying fosse, or external ditch, serving as a boundary and a modest defensive barrier for a family and their livestock. The Monavarnoge example is modest in scale, with a diameter of approximately twenty metres, placing it at the smaller end of the spectrum. Its bank and fosse survive, and the site sits on level ground despite its elevated position on the slope, which would have made it a practical choice for a farming settlement with a westward outlook over the surrounding terrain.