The northwestern side needs no defensive earthwork, as nature has provided a sheer drop that would have deterred any would-be attackers. On the northern side, however, the builders constructed an impressive triple defence system comprising an inner bank, a fosse (defensive ditch), and an outer bank. Whilst this elaborate arrangement suggests the site held some importance, only the inner bank appears to have continued around the remainder of the fort’s perimeter.

Time and agricultural activity have taken their toll on the eastern sections of the earthwork, where the banks have been considerably damaged. The southeastern portion tells a different story though; here the bank still stands up to a metre high and cleverly incorporates natural rock outcrops into its construction. The builders showed considerable ingenuity in their use of the landscape, combining earth and stone construction with existing geological features to create their defensive circuit. Where the bank meets the western edge, it seamlessly joins with another rock outcrop, demonstrating how Iron Age communities worked with, rather than against, their environment.

The interior of the fort slopes gently from north to south, and the entire structure sits on a rocky prominence surrounded by boggy ground; a strategic choice that would have provided both defensive advantages and practical benefits for keeping livestock dry. This type of ringfort, or rath, was typically built between the early medieval period and the 17th century, serving as fortified homesteads for farming families of some local standing. The site was documented in the Archaeological Survey of County Donegal in 1983, providing valuable insight into how these communities lived and defended themselves in what was often a turbulent period of Irish history.