Moated site, Ardnageehy, Co. Cork
In the low-lying pastures of Ardnageehy, County Cork, a medieval moated site sits quietly amongst the fields, its defensive earthworks still clearly visible after centuries.
Moated site, Ardnageehy, Co. Cork
The site consists of a nearly square platform measuring 42 metres north to south and 41 metres east to west, surrounded by what would have been an imposing water-filled ditch or fosse. Today, this protective moat remains flooded on three sides; to the east, south, and west; whilst the northern section has dried out and become largely filled in over time. A causeway entrance, roughly 2.5 metres wide, once provided access from the south, though it’s now blocked by abandoned farm machinery and overgrown vegetation.
The site represents one of two moated settlements in the immediate area, with another example located approximately 170 metres to the west-southwest. These defensive earthworks were typically constructed during the Anglo-Norman period in Ireland, serving as fortified homesteads for colonising families or as administrative centres for managing agricultural estates. The platforms would have supported timber or stone buildings, whilst the water-filled ditches provided both defence and drainage in these low-lying pastoral lands.
Modern agricultural use has left its mark on the ancient monument; a contemporary drainage system now runs beyond the infilled northern fosse, fed by a drain extending from the western ditch. Despite these alterations and the passage of time, the site remains a tangible link to Cork’s medieval past, when such moated settlements dotted the Irish landscape as symbols of Norman influence and agricultural expansion.