The site is bounded on its northern edge by a broad, shallow ditch about 5.5 metres wide and 0.4 metres deep, whilst the western side features a more substantial drain, 5 metres wide and 1.5 metres deep, which appears to be a later recutting of an original defensive ditch or fosse. A modern field bank marks the southern boundary, likely built atop an older earthwork, though no visible traces remain of any eastern enclosure.

Local memory preserves intriguing details about this site, which was traditionally known as ‘the rath’ amongst residents. According to the landowner, the enclosure was once heavily wooded until the trees were felled during ‘the Emergency’, Ireland’s term for the Second World War years when fuel shortages made timber precious. In the aftermath, the interior was excavated for yellow clay, or daub, used in traditional house construction; a common practice that saw many archaeological sites repurposed as building material sources. The area was later backfilled and returned to agricultural use, though its distinctive outline remains visible.

The site’s morphology, particularly the substantial water-filled ditches and rectangular plan, suggests it may have been a medieval moated site rather than a traditional Irish rath or ringfort. These moated sites, typically dating from the 13th to 15th centuries, were often associated with Anglo-Norman settlement and served as defended farmsteads for wealthy landowners. The presence of such features in the Kildare landscape reflects the complex layers of settlement and land use that characterise this part of the Irish midlands, where prehistoric, early medieval and later medieval remains often occupy the same territories.