This medieval earthwork consists of a circular raised platform measuring approximately 48 metres north to south and 51 metres east to west, enclosed by a substantial defensive scarp that rises 2.8 metres high. The platform is further protected by a flat-bottomed, steep-sided external fosse, or defensive ditch, that runs around the perimeter with a width of 3.5 metres and depth of 1.8 metres, though the eastern section has become largely filled in over the centuries.

The elevated nature of this monument sets it apart from typical Irish ringforts, suggesting it was constructed as a ringwork; a type of fortification introduced by the Anglo-Normans in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. Ringworks served as defensive strongholds for the new colonial lords, often acting as precursors to stone castles or as standalone fortifications in areas where stone construction wasn’t practical. The raised platform would have originally supported timber palisades and buildings, creating a formidable defensive position that controlled the surrounding landscape.

Today, the earthwork remains an impressive feature in the rural Kilkenny countryside, its grassy banks and ditches preserving the footprint of medieval power and conflict. The site represents a fascinating chapter in Ireland’s complex history, when Norman settlers were establishing their authority across the country through a network of earth and timber fortifications. Despite centuries of agricultural activity in the surrounding fields, the ringwork’s substantial earthen defences have survived remarkably intact, offering visitors a tangible connection to the medieval past.