The platform itself measures approximately 25 metres from east-northeast to west-southwest, whilst its width varies from 27 metres at the broader northeastern end to 20 metres at the southwestern end. This elevated area is surrounded by a low earthen bank, roughly 3.4 metres wide, which stands about 30 centimetres high on the inside but rises to 60 centimetres when viewed from the exterior.

Beyond this inner bank lies a substantial fosse, or defensive ditch, measuring 4.5 metres across. The eastern and southern sides of the site feature an additional outer bank at the lip of the fosse, standing 4.4 metres wide and reaching 1.8 metres in height on its inner face, though only 30 centimetres on the outer side. This second bank appears to have been levelled or destroyed on the western and northern sides of the site. The original entrance can still be identified on the eastern side, where matching two-metre gaps in both banks align with a causeway that crosses the fosse.

These medieval moated sites are fascinating remnants of Anglo-Norman settlement in Ireland, typically dating from the 13th to 14th centuries. They served as fortified farmsteads for colonists who needed defensible homesteads in what was often contested territory. The Ballyfaris example, with its double bank system and water-filled moat, would have provided both practical defence and a visible statement of authority in the medieval Sligo landscape.