These enclosures, known in Irish as raths, were the farmsteads of early medieval Ireland, typically dating from roughly the fifth to the twelfth century. A raised bank of earth, sometimes reinforced with a ditch, enclosed a family's dwelling, their animals, and the small routines of daily life. Tens of thousands of them survive across Ireland in various states of preservation, yet each one occupied a specific patch of ground chosen by a specific household, and that particularity is easy to overlook.

Beyond its classification and location, the recorded detail for this particular example is thin. The townland name, Ardkeen, derives from the Irish, likely meaning something along the lines of a high or prominent headland, which at least suggests the fort may have occupied elevated ground, as was common practice. Siting a rath on a slight rise offered both practical drainage and a degree of visibility across the surrounding territory. Without further documentation it is difficult to say more about the specific history of this enclosure, who built it, how well it survives, or what, if anything, remains visible at ground level today.