The site consists of a rectangular enclosure measuring approximately 30 metres northwest to southeast and 26 metres northeast to southwest, defined by what remains of a levelled bank and an accompanying fosse, or defensive ditch. The bank, now reduced to little more than a slight scarp, stands best preserved along the northwestern side where it reaches 26 metres in length, whilst the other three sides show only faint traces, typically no more than 12 centimetres high.

The fosse that once provided defensive capabilities for this enclosure is now largely backfilled, though its original dimensions can still be discerned. Along the northwestern side, where preservation is best, the ditch measures nearly 5 metres in overall width with a depth of 35 centimetres, whilst the remaining sides show shallower profiles of around 15 centimetres deep. Two drainage channels extend from the fosse at either end of the southwestern side, suggesting careful water management was part of the site’s original design. Local knowledge indicates a spring existed northwest of the fosse until it was blocked in 2009, which would have provided a valuable water source for the site’s medieval inhabitants.

The interior of the enclosure slopes gently towards the northeast, and whilst the surrounding field shows various undulations, these don’t form any recognisable archaeological pattern. This type of moated site was typically associated with Anglo-Norman settlement in Ireland during the 13th and 14th centuries, serving as fortified farmsteads or minor manorial centres. The Knockkelly example, recorded by archaeologist Jean Farrelly in August 2011, represents one of many such sites scattered across the Irish landscape, their earthen banks and ditches serving as quiet reminders of medieval life and the complex patterns of settlement that followed the Norman invasion.