This square enclosure measures 30 metres on each side and is now covered in thick scrub vegetation, making it somewhat difficult to spot at first glance. What defines this medieval site are the flat-bottomed moats that surround it on all four sides; these defensive ditches are substantial features, measuring 8 to 9.5 metres wide at the top and narrowing to 4 to 6 metres at their base. The internal depth ranges from 0.9 to 1.6 metres, whilst the external depth is somewhat shallower at 0.5 to 1 metre.

These moated sites were typically built by Anglo-Norman colonists during the 13th and 14th centuries as fortified farmsteads. They served as both defensive structures and symbols of authority in the Irish countryside. The Ballynabola example follows the classic pattern of a square or rectangular platform surrounded by water-filled ditches, which would have originally contained a timber hall and various outbuildings for the landholder and their household.

An interesting feature of this particular site is a leat, or artificial watercourse, that runs eastward from the southeast corner of the moat. This would have been engineered to manage water levels in the moats, ensuring they remained filled whilst preventing overflow during wet periods. First documented by Barry in 1977 and later included in the Archaeological Inventory of County Wexford published in 1996, the site represents one of hundreds of similar moated sites scattered across the Irish landscape, each telling the story of medieval settlement and the complex relationship between Norman colonists and the Irish territories they inhabited.