The site consists of a square enclosure measuring 55 metres east to west and 63 metres north to south, defined by a substantial earth and stone bank that rises half a metre on the inside and one and a half metres on the outside. This bank, roughly 2.5 metres wide, would have formed the primary defensive barrier for whoever occupied this site centuries ago.

The defences were further strengthened by a wide, flat-bottomed fosse, or defensive ditch, that runs around the perimeter. This impressive feature measures three metres across and plunges to a depth of one and a half metres, though it’s interrupted by a three-metre-wide causewayed entrance on the eastern side; this would have served as the main access point. Interestingly, a second outer bank is visible on the eastern side only, though this appears to be an unintended consequence of later road construction rather than part of the original design. The modern road has also damaged the site’s northern edge, destroying the external fosse in that area.

Evidence of the site’s long history continues beyond its medieval origins. Cultivation ridges, the telltale signs of historic farming practices, stretch across the western end of the enclosure, showing how the land was repurposed for agriculture after its defensive role had ended. These layered traces of human activity, from medieval fortification to agricultural use, make this Ballingarry site a compelling example of how Ireland’s landscape has been continuously shaped and reshaped over the centuries.