Moated site, Cregboy, Co. Galway
In the townland of Cregboy, County Galway, the remnants of a medieval moated site lie hidden amongst dense scrubland and rocky outcrops.
Moated site, Cregboy, Co. Galway
Though nothing visible remains on the surface today, this site once featured a rectangular enclosure measuring approximately 39 metres from northwest to southeast and 37 metres from northeast to southwest. A small stream still flows about 40 metres to the east, just as it would have centuries ago when the site was actively occupied.
The enclosure appears on the 1838 edition of the Ordnance Survey 6-inch map, providing valuable evidence of its existence during the 19th century. Moated sites like this one were typically constructed between the 13th and 14th centuries, serving as fortified homesteads for Anglo-Norman settlers or Gaelicised families. The moat, which would have been water-filled using the nearby stream, provided both defensive capabilities and a statement of status in medieval Irish society.
Whilst the physical structures have long since vanished, absorbed back into the Galway landscape, the site remains an important piece of the archaeological record. The Galway Archaeological Survey at University College Galway documented this location as part of their comprehensive cataloguing efforts, ensuring that even these invisible monuments continue to tell the story of medieval settlement patterns in the west of Ireland.