Though nothing remains visible on the surface today, this unassuming spot holds centuries of history beneath its grassy covering. The site commands excellent views across the surrounding countryside in all directions, a strategic position that would have been highly valued by its original inhabitants.

Historical maps reveal the changing understanding of this archaeological feature over time. The first Ordnance Survey six-inch map from 1840 depicted it as a rectangular enclosure, suggesting that some traces were still visible to early surveyors. By the time the 1903 edition was produced, cartographers had reinterpreted the site as circular, measuring approximately 33 metres north to south and 30 metres east to west. This shift in representation might reflect either better surveying techniques or changes to the site itself over those six decades.

Moated sites like this one were typically built between the 13th and 14th centuries, serving as fortified homesteads for Anglo-Norman settlers or prosperous Irish families. The moat, which would have been filled with water, provided both defence and a display of status; these sites often included a raised platform where a timber hall or tower house would have stood. While Gatterstown’s moated site may appear unremarkable to the casual observer today, it represents an important piece of medieval settlement patterns in County Tipperary, when such fortified farmsteads dotted the Irish landscape.