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The Roundtower, cathedral, oratory and graveyard sit within a much larger medieval enclosure. An inner enclosure marked by the graveyard wall and an outer enclosure can be seen in the field to the west. This multiperiod site contains early medieval and later medieval buildings and other features.
The nave (eastern end of cathedral) and the oratory (known locally as An Beannachan) are perhaps 8th century in date. The Oratory may have been the burial place of St. Declan.
The round tower and the cathedral were built at the end of the 12th or the start of the 13th century and represent Ardmore as part of a wider church network with architectural influences found in France. The outside of the western cathedral gable has nine panels with figure carvings, showing Adam and Eve, King Solomon, the Last Judgement and a number of bishops.
