Moated site, Lisdonagh, Co. Galway
In the townland of Lisdonagh, County Galway, the remnants of a medieval moated site tell a quiet story of Ireland's Anglo-Norman past.
Moated site, Lisdonagh, Co. Galway
Located roughly 100 metres northwest of another, better-preserved moated site, this rectangular earthwork measures approximately 36 metres from north to south and 28 metres from east to west. Though time and weather have taken their toll, leaving only intermittent traces of the original defensive banks, the site’s basic structure remains readable in the landscape.
The moated site follows a typical medieval design, with two earthen banks that once stood prominently around the perimeter, separated by a water-filled ditch or fosse. This defensive arrangement was common throughout Ireland during the 13th and 14th centuries, when Anglo-Norman settlers built fortified farmsteads to protect their holdings. The banks, which would have originally supported a wooden palisade or similar defensive structure, now survive only in fragments; centuries of erosion and agricultural activity have reduced them to subtle rises in the ground.
One particularly interesting feature can be spotted at the northeastern corner, where traces of a leat, or artificial watercourse, once connected the fosse to nearby Lough Hacket. This engineered channel would have maintained water levels in the defensive ditch, ensuring the moat remained an effective barrier against unwanted visitors. Such careful water management demonstrates the practical engineering skills of medieval settlers, who understood that a dry moat offered little protection. Today, these earthworks stand as modest monuments to a time when even rural farmsteads required fortification, offering visitors a tangible connection to Galway’s medieval landscape.