Moated site, Rearour And Barrettshill, Co. Cork
In the pastures of Rearour and Barrettshill in County Cork, a medieval moated site occupies a south-facing hillslope, its earthen banks still clearly defining a roughly square enclosure.
Moated site, Rearour And Barrettshill, Co. Cork
The site measures about 36 metres from east to west and 34 metres from north to south, surrounded by substantial earthen banks that rise to 1.8 metres in height on the interior side. Some sections of these banks retain their original stone facing, whilst a shallow defensive ditch, no more than half a metre deep, runs along the southern and western sides.
The builders cleverly adapted the site to its sloping location by raising the southern portion of the interior, creating a level platform despite the natural incline of the hill. An old trackway cuts across the northern half of the enclosure, running east to west; evidence of centuries of use that continued long after the site’s original defensive purpose had passed. These moated sites, common throughout medieval Ireland, typically date from the 13th to 14th centuries and served as fortified farmsteads for Anglo-Norman settlers or prosperous Irish families.
Today, the earthworks remain remarkably well-preserved, offering visitors a tangible connection to Cork’s medieval past. The site forms part of the county’s rich archaeological landscape, documented in the Archaeological Inventory of County Cork and protected as a national monument. Its pastoral setting and enduring earthen banks stand as a reminder of how medieval communities shaped and defended their rural holdings in this part of Ireland.