Lisconla, Pallas Beg,Pallas More, Co. Tipperary North
Tucked away in the flat pastures of North Tipperary's uplands lies a remarkably well-preserved medieval moated site that offers a window into Ireland's defensive past.
Lisconla, Pallas Beg,Pallas More, Co. Tipperary North
The site consists of a raised square platform measuring 30 metres on each side, surrounded by an impressive earth and stone bank that rises 2.5 metres on its exterior face. This bank, roughly 2 metres wide, would have formed the primary defensive barrier for whoever occupied this fortified position centuries ago.
The platform is encircled by a wide, flat-bottomed fosse, or defensive ditch, that still holds water today. At 6 metres wide and 2.3 metres deep, this waterlogged moat would have presented a formidable obstacle to any would-be attackers. Archaeological surveys have identified possible traces of an outer bank beyond the fosse, suggesting this site may have boasted multiple layers of defence. The only way across was via a causewayed entrance, 2.8 metres wide, positioned midway along the southeastern side of the enclosure.
What makes this entrance particularly intriguing is the remnant of a stone wall, nearly a metre thick, running along its southeastern edge. Archaeologists believe this may indicate the presence of a stone bridge that once spanned the moat, allowing controlled access to the raised platform. Such moated sites were typically built between the 13th and 15th centuries by Anglo-Norman settlers or Gaelicised Norman families, serving as fortified homesteads that combined residential and defensive functions in the often turbulent medieval Irish landscape.





