The site forms an almost perfect square, measuring 43.7 metres from east to west and 43.3 metres from north to south. Its boundaries are clearly defined by earthworks that have survived the centuries: a scarp standing 1.7 metres high marks the eastern edge, whilst earthen banks of about 1.4 metres in height enclose the southern, western and northern sides.

What makes this site particularly interesting is its defensive layout, typical of Anglo-Norman settlements in medieval Ireland. An outer bank, also reaching 1.4 metres in height, runs from the western side around to the northeast, with a fosse, or defensive ditch, lying between the inner and outer banks. This double-bank-and-ditch arrangement would have provided substantial protection for whatever structures once stood within the enclosure, likely a timber hall or tower house belonging to a local lord or prosperous farmer.

A break in the southern bank marks what was probably the original entrance to the site. These moated sites, dating primarily from the 13th and 14th centuries, were common throughout the Anglo-Norman territories of Ireland, serving as fortified farmsteads that could offer protection during raids whilst managing the surrounding agricultural lands. The Ballymore example, recorded in the Archaeological Inventory of County Cork and updated in 2009, represents one of the better-preserved examples of these fascinating medieval earthworks in West Cork.