Moated site, Ardsallagh More, Co. Roscommon
In the gentle countryside of Ardsallagh More, County Roscommon, a rectangular earthwork marks the location of what appears to be a medieval moated site.
Moated site, Ardsallagh More, Co. Roscommon
First recorded on the 1914 Ordnance Survey six-inch map, this historic feature measures approximately 45 metres on each side and sits on a southeast-facing slope. Today, aerial photographs reveal its outline as a distinctive cropmark, where the ancient fosse, or defensive ditch, once encircled the site.
The interior of the enclosure comprises a grass-covered rectangular area measuring roughly 33 metres from west-northwest to east-southeast, and 29 metres from north-northeast to south-southwest. A subtle scarp, standing just 25 to 35 centimetres high, defines this inner space; a modest reminder of what may have been more substantial earthworks centuries ago. The southeastern edge of the site has been cut through by a field bank that now serves as the townland boundary between Ardsallagh More and neighbouring Acres.
These moated sites, common throughout medieval Ireland, typically date from the 13th to 14th centuries and were often associated with Anglo-Norman settlement. They consisted of a raised platform surrounded by a water-filled ditch, providing both defence and status to their inhabitants. While the Ardsallagh More example may lack the dramatic presence of better-preserved sites, its traces in the landscape offer a tangible connection to the medieval reorganisation of the Irish countryside.