Positioned on the northwest-facing slope of Knockatluah, roughly 90 metres southeast of the Tooraleagan River, this archaeological feature has been documented on Ordnance Survey maps since 1842. What began as a simple rectangular field marking on the earliest map evolved into something more intriguing; by 1905 and 1936, surveyors depicted it as a raised square area with distinctive hachured markings, measuring approximately 40 metres from northeast to southwest and 35 metres from northwest to southeast.

The site has undergone significant changes over the centuries, with the raised platform now levelled and integrated into the surrounding pasture. Modern field boundaries run along its northwestern and northeastern edges, following the ancient perimeter. Most remarkably, aerial photography from the Cork Aerial Survey and Archive Project has captured cropmarks that reveal the site’s hidden defensive features; wide linear fosses, or ditches, are still visible along the southeastern and southwestern sides, marking where water once filled these protective channels.

These moated sites were typically constructed during the Anglo-Norman period, serving as fortified homesteads for colonising families who needed both agricultural productivity and defensive capabilities. The combination of natural defences provided by the sloping terrain and engineered features like the water-filled fosses would have created a formidable obstacle for any unwanted visitors whilst establishing a clear statement of ownership and control over the surrounding landscape.