Though you won’t spot it from ground level today, this medieval earthwork once formed a prominent square enclosure in the landscape. The site first appeared on the 1840 Ordnance Survey six-inch map, marking it as a feature of sufficient importance to merit inclusion in Ireland’s earliest systematic mapping project.

Moated sites like this one represent a particular type of medieval settlement that flourished across Ireland between the 13th and 14th centuries. These rectangular or square enclosures, typically surrounded by a water-filled moat and an internal bank, served as fortified homesteads for Anglo-Norman colonists and prosperous Irish families. The moat provided both defensive capabilities and drainage for the central platform where timber or stone buildings would have stood.

While the Ballingarry site has lost its visible presence over time, its documented location preserves an important piece of North Tipperary’s medieval heritage. The flat pastureland that now covers the area gives little hint of the bustling farmstead that once operated here, complete with its defensive earthworks, residential buildings, and the daily activities of a medieval household. Such sites offer valuable insights into settlement patterns, agricultural practices, and the social dynamics of medieval Ireland, even when their physical remains have been absorbed back into the working landscape.