The moated site at Coolowley consists of an almost square platform, measuring roughly 28.4 metres from northeast to southwest and 30 metres from northwest to southeast. What makes this site particularly interesting is the surviving defensive bank that still traces much of its perimeter; visible sections remain along the northern, northeastern, southeastern, southern and southwestern sides of the enclosure.

Unlike many similar medieval sites across Ireland, Coolowley shows no clear evidence of having had a surrounding water-filled ditch, or fosse, which typically accompanied such earthworks. The original entrance point has also been lost to time, leaving archaeologists to speculate about how the site’s inhabitants would have accessed this defended space. These moated sites, common throughout the Irish midlands, were typically built between the 13th and 14th centuries by Anglo-Norman settlers or prosperous Gaelic families as fortified farmsteads.

The site was formally recorded in the Archaeological Inventory of County Laois, published by the Dublin Stationery Office in 1995. The inventory, compiled by P. David Sweetman, Olive Alcock and Bernie Moran, provides a comprehensive catalogue of the county’s archaeological heritage, though entries continue to be revised as new research comes to light. Today, this quiet corner of Laois offers visitors a chance to explore a subtle but significant piece of Ireland’s medieval landscape.