The circular enclosure measures between 20 and 30 metres across internally, originally defended by three concentric features: an inner earthen bank that still reaches two metres high on the northwestern side, a defensive ditch about half a metre deep, and an outer bank that has largely disappeared into the landscape. The fort occupies prime agricultural land near the cliff edge, suggesting its builders chose the location for both its defensive advantages and fertile soil.

The site gained additional significance with the discovery of a small stone cross slab on its northeastern side, though the artefact has since been moved to Moville for safekeeping. This modest but important piece measures 61 centimetres long and tapers from 15 to 8 centimetres wide, with a wheeled Latin cross carved in relief on the wider end of one face. The presence of this Christian symbol suggests the ringfort may have continued in use or held special significance well into the early medieval period, when Christianity was spreading throughout Ireland.

Archaeological surveys indicate this is a classic example of a rath, the most common type of settlement in early medieval Ireland between roughly 500 and 1200 AD. These circular farmsteads housed extended families and their livestock, serving as the basic unit of rural society. The Glennagiveny example, with its substantial surviving banks and coastal position, offers visitors a tangible connection to the everyday lives of Ireland’s early medieval inhabitants, who farmed, traded, and worshipped in these enclosed homesteads scattered across the countryside.