The 1836 Ordnance Survey six-inch map records it simply as ‘Fort’, depicted as a semi-circular arc of earthen bank that curves from east to south. What survives is a slightly raised platform, measuring between 20 and 25 metres across, sitting on prime agricultural land along the banks of the River Finn.

The fort appears to have met its demise through the march of agricultural and industrial progress. Field boundaries first truncated the structure along its western and northern edges, likely when the land was reorganised for farming purposes. Later in the nineteenth century, the construction of a railway line dealt the final blow, cutting directly through what remained of the ancient fortification. By the time subsequent Ordnance Survey editions were produced, the cartographers no longer deemed it significant enough to include.

These ringforts, or raths as they’re known in Irish, were once commonplace across the Irish countryside, serving as defended farmsteads during the early medieval period. The Mullandrait example, whilst largely destroyed, represents one of thousands of such sites that once dotted the landscape. Archaeological surveyor Lacy documented the site in 1983, noting its elevated position and the quality of the surrounding farmland; both typical characteristics for these settlements, whose inhabitants would have chosen their locations carefully for both defensive advantage and agricultural potential.