That first large-scale Irish mapping project recorded it with a diameter of roughly 30 metres and noted that its interior had been planted with trees, a detail that hints at a site already regarded with some curiosity or deference by whoever worked the land around it.

Circular enclosures of this kind are among the most common archaeological features in the Irish countryside. Most are the remains of raths or ringforts, which were enclosed farmsteads typically dating from the early medieval period, roughly 500 to 1200 AD, defined by one or more earthen banks and ditches. The slope here runs down towards a wooded glen through which the River Douglas flows, a setting that would have offered early inhabitants access to water, shelter, and productive ground. The tree planting recorded on the 1842 map may reflect a widespread folk reluctance to disturb such sites, which were often associated in local tradition with the supernatural, and were consequently left alone while surrounding fields were cleared and cultivated.