This ancient ringfort, also known as a rath, measures approximately 30.5 metres east to west and 33.5 metres north to south. The raised platform stands about a metre high, though time has taken its toll on the structure’s original defences.

The fort’s protective bank has weathered considerably over the centuries, now appearing mostly as a gentle scarp roughly a metre in height. Running around the outside of this bank, you can still trace the remains of a shallow fosse, or defensive ditch, which spans about four metres wide but has filled in over time to a depth of just 30 centimetres. Curiously, archaeologists haven’t been able to identify a clear entrance to the fort, which would have been essential for its Iron Age or early medieval inhabitants.

The site gained renewed interest when aerial photographs taken by Bing Maps between November 2011 and March 2012 revealed what appears to be the ringfort’s outline from above, confirming its circular form despite the erosion at ground level. These fortified farmsteads were once common across Ireland, serving as homes for prosperous farming families and their livestock, complete with defensive features that spoke to the uncertain times in which they were built.