Moated site, Ardvally, Co. Mayo
Sitting on a gentle rise in the rolling grasslands of Ardvally, County Mayo, this medieval moated site offers a glimpse into Ireland's defensive past.
Moated site, Ardvally, Co. Mayo
The site consists of a raised rectangular platform, measuring roughly 37 metres east to west and 34 metres north to south, which would have once held a timber hall or tower house. This platform is surrounded by the remnants of an inner bank, now mostly visible as a sloped scarp about 3.4 metres wide, with a low rim still traceable along its inner edge.
The defensive features of this site remain impressively intact despite centuries of weathering. A broad fosse, or water-filled ditch, measuring 4.5 metres wide, encircles the platform and would have provided the primary defence against unwanted visitors. Beyond this lies an external bank, which remains substantial on the northern side at nearly a metre high and almost 6 metres wide, though it has degraded considerably elsewhere. There are breaks in this outer bank at the northeast and southeast corners; the northeastern gap spans about 6 metres and may mark an original entrance. To the west, an old grassed-over laneway respects the outline of the monument, suggesting the site has long been recognised as significant by local inhabitants.
The interior shows intriguing signs of past activity. In the northwest quadrant, a shallow rectangular depression measuring about 8.4 by 4.5 metres hints at the location of former structures or later disturbance. The southeast quadrant contains an L-shaped depression or trench, roughly 1.4 metres wide, which runs east to west for about 7 to 8 metres before turning south. This feature is bordered by a low raised rim along its northern and eastern edges. Today, the interior is grass-covered whilst dense hawthorn and brambles have colonised the banks and fosse, and a modern field fence cuts across the northeastern section. About 200 metres to the southwest, another rath is visible, suggesting this area was once home to multiple defended settlements during the medieval period.





