This structure, measuring approximately 36 metres northwest to southeast and 33 metres northeast to southwest, is surrounded by a mortared rubble wall about 0.7 metres thick. The wall features an external base batter, a sloping design that strengthens the foundation, though no dressed stone is visible in its construction. Visitors can enter through a gap in the eastern side of the wall, near the northeastern corner.

The enclosure, properly known as a bawn, appears on the 1837 Ordnance Survey 6-inch map, where it’s clearly annotated as such. Bawns were defensive walls built around tower houses and castles in Ireland, typically dating from the 15th to 17th centuries, though this particular example shows no evidence of any buildings within its walls. The structure sits at the northern end of a long, oval-shaped rise that stretches about 144 metres northwest to southeast and 55 metres northeast to southwest, defined by an earthen bank or scarp that’s still visible in aerial photographs.

Archaeological Survey of Ireland researchers Frank Coyne and Caimin O’Brien documented this monument in September 2018, creating a detailed survey plan. Whilst its original purpose remains somewhat mysterious given the absence of internal structures, the bawn’s strategic position overlooking Lough Ree and its substantial construction suggest it once played an important defensive or agricultural role in the area’s history. Today, it stands as an intriguing reminder of Ireland’s complex past, where fortified enclosures served multiple purposes throughout the centuries.