Castle - ringwork, Moanmore, Co. Tipperary South
On a gentle east-south-east facing slope in County Tipperary South, the remnants of a medieval ringwork castle at Moanmore offer a glimpse into Ireland's Norman past.
Castle - ringwork, Moanmore, Co. Tipperary South
This circular fortification, measuring 18 metres in diameter, is defined by an earthen bank, or scarp, that rises 2.55 metres high and spans 5.3 metres wide. Though vegetation now obscures portions of the structure from the west-north-west to the north-east and along its southern sections, the basic defensive layout remains clearly visible in the landscape.
The castle’s defensive fosse, or ditch, originally measured 9 metres in overall width with a base width of 1.9 metres, though centuries of weathering have reduced its depth to just 0.2 metres. This protective feature runs from west-north-west to north-east and from south-east to south-west, with vegetation masking the south-south-west portion. The interior of the ringwork features a gentle south-facing slope across its northern half, suggesting the original layout may have been designed to maximise sunlight exposure for any structures built within.
Two entrance gaps interrupt the defensive circuit; one at the western side spans 3 metres, whilst another on the east-south-east measures 3.5 metres wide. At these points, the scarp is noticeably lower, marking the original access routes into this fortified enclosure. Today, the site sits peacefully in pastureland, its grassy banks offering little hint of the strategic importance such ringworks once held in controlling and defending the medieval Irish countryside.





