First documented on the 1841 Ordnance Survey 6-inch map, this rectangular enclosure once stretched approximately 50 metres from northeast to southwest and 45 metres from east to west. The site represents one of many such fortified homesteads that dotted the Irish landscape during the medieval period, typically built by Anglo-Norman settlers or prosperous Irish families between the 13th and 15th centuries.

Moated sites like Coolkerry were essentially defended farmsteads, surrounded by water-filled ditches that served both as protection and as a status symbol. The moat would have enclosed a raised platform where the main dwelling stood, likely a timber-framed hall with associated outbuildings for livestock, storage, and daily activities. These sites occupied a middle ground in the medieval settlement hierarchy; more substantial than ordinary farms but less imposing than proper castles, they housed minor lords, prosperous farmers, or estate managers who needed security but couldn’t afford stone fortifications.

Today, no visible traces remain above ground at Coolkerry, with centuries of agriculture and natural processes having levelled the earthworks that once defined this medieval homestead. The site’s identification relies entirely on historical mapping and aerial photography that can sometimes reveal buried features through crop marks or subtle changes in ground level. Its inclusion in the Archaeological Inventory of County Laois ensures its location is protected and recorded for future generations, even as the physical evidence continues to fade into the landscape.