The site occupies wet, marshy ground riddled with small streams, offering limited views across the surrounding countryside. This defensive position would have provided both natural protection and a ready water supply for its medieval inhabitants.

The site consists of a rectangular platform measuring approximately 22 metres north to south and 25 metres east to west. A slight, overgrown bank encircles this platform, beyond which runs a wide, waterlogged fosse or defensive ditch, roughly 4 to 5 metres wide and about 0.6 metres deep. According to research by Barry in 1977, two springs feed directly into the moat, ensuring a constant water supply. Today, water continues to flow from the fosse at both the southeast and southwest corners, maintaining the site’s marshy character.

These moated sites were typically built between the 13th and 14th centuries, often serving as fortified farmsteads for Anglo-Norman settlers or prosperous Irish families. The combination of the raised platform, surrounding bank, and water-filled ditch would have provided security against raids whilst the marshy terrain made approach difficult for any would-be attackers. Though now overgrown and waterlogged, the earthworks at Tomakeany remain a well-preserved example of medieval defensive architecture adapted to Ireland’s wet landscape.