The massive stone enclosure, measuring roughly 190 metres across in both directions, stands as one of Ireland’s more unusual prehistoric monuments. Its six-sided design sets it apart from the typical circular or oval hillforts found elsewhere in the country, whilst its construction from carefully laid drystone walls speaks to considerable planning and communal effort.

The enclosing wall itself tells a story of ancient engineering skill. Built from a combination of thin stone flags laid in courses and set on edge, with an angular pebble core between inner and outer faces, the wall averages about 2.3 metres in width. Thirteen gaps punctuate the perimeter at irregular intervals, each carefully defined by transverse slabs; whether these served as original entrances or held some other purpose remains uncertain. A natural ravine on the eastern side slopes upward into the interior, creating what appears to be the main approach to the site. The ground rises slightly towards the centre of the enclosure, creating an interesting visual effect where parts of the interior remain hidden from view as you walk the perimeter.

When antiquarian Thomas Johnson Westropp surveyed the site in 1905, he documented several small hut foundations clustered mainly along the inner face of the wall, though the bare, often loose limestone crag of the interior showed little evidence of other structures. More recently, archaeologists have identified an additional tiny circular house foundation near the inner end of the eastern depression. The site’s age and exact purpose remain tantalisingly uncertain; it could date to the Neolithic period as a causewayed enclosure used for gatherings and ceremonies, or it might belong to the Late Bronze Age, serving as a hillfort for defence or control of the surrounding landscape. About 600 metres to the southwest along the same ridge lies another settlement cluster on Turlough Hill, suggesting this high ground held significance for ancient communities over extended periods.