The one at Rathganny, in County Westmeath, is different in one immediately obvious respect: it occupies the top of a steep and prominent hill, lifting it well above the gently undulating grassland that surrounds it. The elevated position would have been deliberate, offering the occupants clear sightlines across the neighbouring hills in every direction. That combination of defensive height and commanding visibility sets it apart from the more modestly positioned examples that make up the bulk of Ireland's ringfort record.

A ringfort, or rath, is an early medieval enclosed farmstead, typically dating from roughly the fifth to the twelfth century, in which a circular area of habitation was protected by one or more earthen banks and ditches. The Rathganny example is sub-circular in plan, measuring approximately 24 metres across on its north-north-west to south-south-east axis, and is enclosed by a substantial bank of earth and stone. The bank has suffered some disturbance over the centuries, evident in several gaps around its circuit, and a field fence running north to south cuts through the eastern edge of the monument. Inside the enclosure, a roughly circular raised area in the southern quadrant may represent the remains of a hut site, the kind of low earthen platform on which a timber or wattle dwelling would once have stood. Elsewhere in the interior, other raised areas are visible but have been partially cut through by cultivation ridges running north to south, leaving their original purpose uncertain. A further circular raised feature in the north-east quadrant is detectable on aerial photography.