These circular earthworks, known as raths when constructed from raised banks and ditches, were the farmsteads of early medieval Ireland, typically dating from roughly the fifth to the twelfth centuries. A family would have lived within the enclosed area, with the surrounding earthen rampart offering a degree of protection for people and livestock alike. They are so numerous across the Irish countryside that they have become almost invisible through familiarity, yet each one represents centuries of continuous use and, in many cases, subsequent layers of folklore and local memory.

Turlough itself is a place of some archaeological and historical interest, perhaps best known for the round tower and ruined church that stand in its old graveyard, and for the nearby Turlough Park, now home to the Museum of Country Life. The townland sits in a part of Mayo that has been settled since prehistoric times, and ringforts in this region tend to cluster in areas of well-drained, workable land. The specific history of this particular enclosure, including when it was built, who occupied it, and how well its earthworks have survived, remains to be fully documented in the public record.