First documented in 1986, this site once featured traces of a fosse, a defensive ditch that likely enclosed a bawn; a fortified enclosure typically built to protect livestock and people during Ireland’s turbulent 16th and 17th centuries. While the fosse itself is no longer visible at ground level, a low scarp measuring about 0.8 metres in height still marks where this defensive feature once stood.

The bawn sits just north of what researchers believe to be the remains of a hall house, a type of medieval dwelling common amongst the Anglo-Norman settlers and Gaelic Irish nobility. These structures typically featured a large open hall at their centre, which served as the heart of domestic and social life. The proximity of the bawn to the hall house suggests this was once a complete defensive homestead, where the residents could secure their cattle and retreat behind earthworks when raids threatened.

Today, visitors to the site need a keen eye to spot these historical features amongst the pastoral landscape. The subtle earthworks that remain offer a glimpse into Ireland’s complex past, when fortified homesteads dotted the countryside and defensive architecture was essential for survival. This particular site, compiled for the archaeological record by Geaóid Conroy in December 2011, represents one of many such settlements that once shaped the Kildare landscape.