Moated site, Cloghpook, Co. Kilkenny
In the flat, boggy pasture at the bottom of a north-facing valley near Cloghpook in County Kilkenny, you'll find the remains of a medieval moated site that offers good views towards the north.
Moated site, Cloghpook, Co. Kilkenny
This well-preserved rectangular enclosure measures 49 metres from north to south and 35 metres from east to west, surrounded by an impressive defensive system that would have protected whoever lived here centuries ago.
The site’s defences consist of three distinct features: an inner bank standing 1.5 metres wide at its crest with an overall width of 6.5 metres, a water-filled ditch or fosse that’s 3 metres wide and up to 2 metres deep on the interior side, and an outer bank measuring 4 metres in total width. A causeway entrance, 3 metres wide, breaks through these defences at the centre of the northern side, providing the original access point to the enclosure. Interestingly, this moated site doesn’t appear on any of the six-inch Ordnance Survey maps, suggesting it may have been overlooked or already partially ruined when those surveys were conducted.
At the heart of the enclosure, about 7 metres from the southern end, archaeologists have identified what appears to be a house platform; a slightly raised area measuring 14 metres north to south and 8 metres east to west, elevated just 10 centimetres above the otherwise flat interior. The southern defences have suffered more damage over time, with the banks demolished and the fosse filled in, though you can still trace its path as a slight, wet depression marked by reedy growth. Despite this damage, the site remains a fascinating example of medieval defensive architecture, likely dating from a period when such moated sites provided both status and security to their inhabitants.





