Lismore, Pallas, Co. Galway
In the quiet pastureland near Lismore, Pallas in County Galway, a remarkably well-preserved rectangular moated site sits on a gentle rise above the surrounding fields.
Lismore, Pallas, Co. Galway
The monument measures approximately 28.3 metres from northwest to southeast and 25.7 metres from northeast to southwest, its boundaries clearly defined by two earthen banks with a defensive ditch, or fosse, running between them. A causewayed entrance, roughly 7.5 metres wide, breaks through the southwestern side, providing what would have been the main access point to this enclosed space centuries ago.
The site’s strategic placement on elevated ground with a stream flowing to the east suggests careful planning by its medieval builders, who likely chose this location for both defensive advantages and access to fresh water. These moated sites, common throughout Ireland from the 13th to 14th centuries, typically served as fortified homesteads for Anglo-Norman settlers or prosperous Gaelic families adapting to new architectural styles. The double bank construction with an intervening fosse represents a substantial investment in defence and status, indicating this was once home to people of considerable means.
Today, a field wall cuts across the northeastern section of the monument, a reminder of how agricultural practices have continued to shape the landscape long after the site’s original inhabitants departed. Despite this intrusion, the moated enclosure remains one of Galway’s better preserved examples of medieval settlement patterns, offering visitors a tangible connection to Ireland’s complex medieval past when such fortified farmsteads dotted the countryside.