The trees were planted inside an early medieval ringfort, one of those circular enclosures defined by an earthen bank that were once the basic unit of rural settlement across Ireland. This one measures around 32 metres in diameter and retains a bank standing roughly 1.1 metres high, modest but legible in the landscape. The conifer planting, a common enough fate for these sites during the twentieth century, has effectively turned the interior into a small, dark wood, walled by prehistory.

Ringforts, known variously as raths or lios depending on local tradition, were typically the farmsteads of early Christian Ireland, occupied broadly between the fifth and twelfth centuries. The earthen bank defined a household's territory, offering a degree of protection for livestock and family alike. Thousands survive across the country in various states of preservation, though many have been ploughed out or built over. The south-facing slope at Moneygaff would have been a practical choice for a settlement, offering warmth and drainage, and the site sits within a wider West Cork landscape that contains numerous such enclosures from the same broad period.