This moated site consists of an approximately square platform measuring about 48 metres from north to south, surrounded by a water-filled ditch or fosse that’s roughly 4 metres wide and between 1.4 and 2 metres deep. The original entrance to this fortified enclosure was on the western side, marked by a causeway spanning 3.5 metres across the fosse, though a second entrance on the southern side appears to be a more recent addition.

The site’s defensive features extend beyond the moat itself; traces of a low earthen bank can still be seen outside the fosse towards the southeastern corner, though this outer defence doesn’t continue around the southern, western, or northern sides of the enclosure. These remains represent a type of medieval fortification that was once common across Ireland, typically dating from the 13th to 14th centuries when Anglo-Norman settlers were establishing themselves in the region.

Perhaps most intriguingly, this moated site may be connected to a mystery from the 17th century Down Survey, Ireland’s first systematic mapping of the country. The survey records mention a castle in this area that has never been definitively located, and some researchers believe The Bawns could be its remains. Whether this was indeed the site of that lost castle or simply another medieval homestead, the earthworks at Closutton offer a tangible link to Carlow’s medieval past, when such moated sites served as both defensive structures and symbols of authority in the Irish countryside.