These L-shaped impressions, captured by the Geological Survey of Ireland in the mid-20th century, correspond intriguingly with features marked on the 1908 Ordnance Survey map. What remains visible from above may be the remnants of a defensive fosse, or ditch, that once protected a bawn; a fortified courtyard typical of Irish tower houses and castles.

The true nature of these earthworks remains somewhat enigmatic. Whilst they could represent the levelled remains of the castle’s original defensive perimeter, there’s another possibility worth considering. The features might actually be more recent, perhaps constructed as a farm roadway sometime before the 1908 survey. This interpretation gains weight when examining earlier maps; the 1838 Ordnance Survey depicts this same area as a walled orchard, suggesting the land had already been repurposed for agricultural use by the Victorian period.

Archaeological surveys like these offer tantalising glimpses into Ireland’s layered past, where centuries of human activity have left their mark on the landscape. At Ballykilmurry, the combination of aerial photography, historical mapping, and field observation helps piece together a story of transformation, from medieval fortification to Georgian orchard to modern farmland. Even when the physical evidence has been ploughed away or built over, these faint traces visible from above serve as reminders of the castle’s once formidable defences and the evolving uses of the land around it.