Castle - ringwork and bailey, Moanroe, Co. Tipperary South
On the flat summit of a ridge in County Tipperary South, the remains of a medieval ringwork and bailey castle at Moanroe offer a glimpse into Ireland's Norman past.
Castle - ringwork and bailey, Moanroe, Co. Tipperary South
The monument sits in gently undulating farmland, with cultivated fields to the north and east, whilst the western side remains in grass. Unfortunately, modern agricultural practices have taken their toll; field boundaries to the east and northeast have been removed, with the debris apparently bulldozed into the defensive ditch on the northern side of the structure.
The ringwork itself consists of a raised circular platform measuring approximately 19.5 metres across from northeast to southwest, defined by a steep scarp nearly a metre high. Surrounding this elevated area runs a substantial defensive fosse, or ditch, that’s 2.4 metres wide and just over a metre deep, with a distinctive round bottom profile. To the eastern side, a crescent-shaped bailey extends the fortification, reaching 28.8 metres at its widest point and extending up to 12.3 metres from northwest to southeast. The western half of the ringwork has become densely overgrown with scrub, whilst a hollow area south of the bailey is now thick with nettles.
Historical Ordnance Survey maps from 1906 show that the ringwork was once more completely enclosed, with a fosse running along the northern, eastern, and southern sides that was partially incorporated into a field bank, now destroyed. The western fosse was enclosed by a curving field boundary. Today, another archaeological feature, an enclosure catalogued as TS077-099, can be found about 30 metres to the east, suggesting this area held strategic importance during medieval times.





