Moated site, Ballincurry,Gortanassy East, Co. Tipperary South

Co. Tipperary |

Castle Features

Moated site, Ballincurry,Gortanassy East, Co. Tipperary South

In the flat, poorly drained grasslands of upland County Tipperary South, near the townlands of Ballincurry and Gortanassy East, lies an intriguing medieval moated site.

The monument consists of a distinctive D-shaped enclosure measuring approximately 21 metres east to west and 30 metres from southeast to northwest. What remains today is an earth and stone bank, standing about 0.3 metres high on the interior and 0.7 metres on the exterior, with a width of 2 metres at its top. Surrounding this bank, you can still trace the outer fosse or ditch, though it's poorly preserved; it measures 2.5 metres wide at the top, narrowing to 1 metre at the base, with depths varying between 0.2 and 0.5 metres.

The unusual D-shape of this moated site may not be its original form. A field drain running east to west for 21 metres cuts across the southern end, forming that boundary of the enclosure, whilst the eastern and western sides run straight for 30 metres each, with a curved northern edge. This drain appears on the 1840 Ordnance Survey map, suggesting it might actually be an original feature of the monument rather than later agricultural interference, though it's equally possible the site was originally oval before this modification. No entrance feature is visible today, making it difficult to determine how medieval inhabitants would have accessed the interior.

The location is typical for a moated site of this period, positioned about 100 metres west of a stream in an area that would have provided both water access and defensive advantages despite the challenging drainage. This site doesn't exist in isolation; it's part of a wider medieval landscape with an enclosure 250 metres to the southeast, and two ringforts nearby, one 400 metres to the east and another 250 metres to the northeast. Whilst the monument is in fair to poor condition today, it remains an important piece of evidence for understanding medieval settlement patterns in this part of Tipperary, compiled and documented by researcher Jean Farrelly in August 2011.

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