Moated site, Templemary, Co. Cork
During a routine archaeological assessment for a tree-felling application in Templemary, County Cork, researchers stumbled upon the remains of what appears to be a medieval moated site hiding in plain sight.
Moated site, Templemary, Co. Cork
The earthwork, which shows up clearly in aerial photographs taken over the past two decades, consists of a rectangular platform measuring roughly 40 metres northwest to southeast and 30 metres northeast to southwest. This central area is surrounded by a distinctive fosse, or defensive ditch, about 5 metres wide that would have once been filled with water, bringing the total length of the entire feature to approximately 50 metres.
What makes this site particularly intriguing is its consistent visibility across multiple aerial surveys; from OSI imagery in 2001 and 2012 through to more recent Bing and ICON photographs from 2022. The earthwork appears as a subtle depression in the pasture, its outline still clearly defined after centuries of agricultural use. Archaeological detective work has also revealed a possible relict water channel immediately southwest of the site, which likely served as the original water source for filling the moat, a crucial defensive feature for these types of medieval settlements.
Moated sites like this one were typically built between the 13th and 14th centuries, often serving as fortified farmsteads for Anglo-Norman settlers or prosperous Irish families. The moat would have provided both defence and drainage whilst the raised platform kept buildings dry and secure. Though now little more than gentle undulations in a Cork field, this earthwork represents a tangible link to medieval Ireland, when such sites dotted the landscape as symbols of wealth, security, and agricultural prosperity.