This site represents the remains of a medieval settlement, likely established by Anglo-Norman colonists in the 12th or 13th century. The ‘old court’ in question would have been a manor house or fortified dwelling, serving as the administrative centre for the surrounding lands; a place where rents were collected, disputes settled, and local justice dispensed.

Archaeological investigations have revealed the footprint of substantial buildings, including what appears to be a hall house with associated outbuildings, all enclosed within defensive earthworks. The settlement would have been a bustling hub of medieval life, complete with agricultural workers’ cottages, storage buildings, and possibly a small chapel. The defensive banks and ditches that remain visible today speak to the uncertain times in which these settlers lived, when raids by displaced Irish clans were a constant threat to these new colonial outposts.

By the 16th century, the site had been abandoned, its inhabitants likely moving to more secure or prosperous locations as the political landscape of Ireland shifted. What remains is a palimpsest of medieval Irish history; earthen mounds and depressions that mark where walls once stood, and field boundaries that still follow the lines laid down eight centuries ago. For those who know how to read them, these subtle features in the landscape tell the story of conquest, colonisation, and the eventual retreat of one of medieval Ireland’s many forgotten settlements.