The enclosure measures approximately 30 metres from northwest to southeast and 28 metres from northeast to southwest, appearing as a distinctive cropmark on Google Earth imagery from June 2018. These cropmarks occur when buried archaeological features affect crop growth above them; the filled-in moat retains more moisture than surrounding soil, causing crops to grow differently and revealing the hidden structure from above.

Moated sites like this one were typically constructed between the 13th and 14th centuries, serving as defended homesteads for Anglo-Norman settlers and prosperous farming families. The moat, which would have been water-filled, provided both defensive capabilities and a statement of status in medieval Ireland. While the above-ground structures have long since vanished, the earthwork remains tell us about the settlement patterns and agricultural practices of medieval Kildare, when this fertile region was being intensively colonised and farmed.

The site’s discovery through aerial photography demonstrates how modern technology continues to unveil Ireland’s hidden heritage. Thanks to researchers like Chris Corlett and Caimin O’Brien, who compiled and shared these findings in November 2018, such discoveries are documented and preserved for future study. Though nothing remains visible at ground level today, the cropmark serves as a reminder that beneath Ireland’s modern agricultural landscape lies a complex medieval past, waiting to be rediscovered through careful observation and new technologies.