The site, which measures approximately 40 by 34 metres according to recent aerial imagery, sits just 15 metres south of a standing stone, creating an intriguing archaeological pairing in the Limerick countryside. First documented on the 1897 Ordnance Survey map as a larger structure of 56 by 50 metres, the earthwork has captured the attention of historians for over a century.

Early 20th century archaeologist Thomas Johnson Westropp identified this as a Norman fortification, characterising it as a low, straight-sided earthwork that likely dates to the medieval period when Anglo-Norman settlers were establishing their presence across Ireland. By the 1940s, archaeologist M.J. O’Kelly attempted to survey the site but found it so densely overgrown with vegetation that precise measurements proved impossible. He described a rectangular structure of earthen banks surrounded by a defensive ditch, or fosse; classic features of medieval fortified sites.

Modern aerial photography from various sources between 2005 and 2018 has revealed additional details invisible from ground level, including a rectangular cropmark adjoining the southwest corner of the main earthwork. These aerial views show the monument as it appears today: a tree-covered rectangular enclosure that remains largely impenetrable due to dense vegetation, yet continues to mark the landscape as it has for centuries, a testament to the Norman influence on Ireland’s rural fortifications.