Historic Ordnance Survey maps from 1842, 1905 and 1936 all mark this spot as something special; a roughly 65 by 60 metre overgrown area surrounded by distinctive double fencing. Today, the site appears as little more than marshy ground enclosed by a barely visible depression, but aerial views and careful observation reveal differential growth patterns in the vegetation that hint at its former significance.

When the Office of Public Works inspected the site in 1974, ahead of planned land reclamation works, they discovered what appeared to be a medieval moated site. The defensive structure consisted of a fosse, or water-filled ditch, approximately 20 feet wide, with an inner bank rising about 8 feet from the base of the ditch. A lower outer bank, measuring 6 feet high from the fosse’s base but only 2 feet above the surrounding ground level, completed the fortification. The inspectors also noted what seemed to be a more recent, shallower outer ditch, though by then the northwest side had already been breached to allow farm machinery access for clearing bushes from the interior.

This type of moated site represents an important piece of Ireland’s medieval landscape, likely dating from the Anglo-Norman period when such defensive homesteads were common across the countryside. The site was formally recorded by historian Terry Barry in 1981 and later included in the Archaeological Inventory of County Cork, cementing its place in the official record of Ireland’s archaeological heritage. Though now largely levelled and unremarkable to the casual observer, the subtle earthworks and documented history preserve a fascinating glimpse into how medieval settlers once shaped and defended their corner of the Irish landscape.