Moated site, Castlenalact, Co. Cork
In the countryside near Castlenalact, County Cork, lies the remains of a medieval moated site, a type of defensive settlement that was once common across Ireland during the 13th and 14th centuries.
Moated site, Castlenalact, Co. Cork
The site consists of a rectangular enclosed area measuring approximately 41.5 metres from northeast to southwest and 26.3 metres from northwest to southeast. This space is surrounded by an earthen bank standing about 0.8 metres high, with an external fosse, or defensive ditch, roughly a metre deep running around the perimeter. An additional outer bank, slightly lower at 0.75 metres, reinforces the southeastern side of the enclosure.
The original entrance to this fortified homestead can still be identified on the southwestern side, where a 2.5-metre-wide gap in the bank aligns with a causeway that once provided passage across the protective fosse. Directly opposite, on the northeastern side, another break in the bank suggests a secondary access point or perhaps a later modification to the original design. These moated sites were typically built by Anglo-Norman settlers and wealthy Irish families who adopted Norman building practices, serving as defended farmsteads rather than true military fortifications.
What makes this particular site especially intriguing is the presence of castle remains in the northern corner of the enclosure, catalogued separately in archaeological records. This combination suggests a complex history of occupation and development, possibly indicating that the site evolved from a simple moated homestead into a more substantial defensive structure over time. The earthworks remain well-preserved, offering visitors a tangible connection to medieval Ireland when such sites dotted the landscape, marking the homes of prosperous farming families who needed protection in an often turbulent era.