The structure is roughly 39 metres across, enclosed by an earthen bank and fronted by a wide, deep fosse, the term for the ditch that would have made any uninvited approach considerably less appealing. What gives the site an added layer of interest is the field boundary running along the outer lip of that fosse, which appears to have been built from a bank that was already there, suggesting the landscape around it has been reshaped and re-used across multiple periods.

Ringforts, sometimes called raths, were the most common form of enclosed settlement in early medieval Ireland, typically dating from roughly the fifth to the twelfth centuries. They served as farmsteads for families of some local standing, the earthen bank and fosse functioning as a boundary and a deterrent rather than a serious fortification. The Carrowgun example follows the general form, but its measurements are notably precise in what they reveal: the bank is considerably thicker and higher on the western side than the east, which may reflect the direction of prevailing weather, the availability of material, or simply the accidents of survival. There is also evidence of a stone kerb along the inner face of the bank, a detail that points to more deliberate construction than a simple heaping of earth. Two gaps in the bank, one on the east and one on the south, likely mark original entrances. Perhaps most intriguing is the possible souterrain recorded in the northern part of the interior. A souterrain is an underground passage or chamber, usually constructed from stone, associated with storage, refuge, or both, and their presence in ringforts is well documented across Ireland, though not universal.

The site sits in working pasture, and its ridge-top position means the earthworks read clearly in the landscape, particularly where the bank and fosse are best preserved on the western side. The two entrance gaps offer the clearest sense of how the enclosure would originally have been entered and exited.