These structures, known in Irish as raths, were the most common form of rural settlement in early medieval Ireland, roughly between the sixth and twelfth centuries. A typical rath consisted of a raised circular area enclosed by one or more earthen banks and ditches, within which a family would have kept their home, their livestock, and whatever small wealth they possessed. Tens of thousands of them once dotted the island; several thousand survive in recognisable form today, and Rehy's example is among them.