The site consists of a rectangular platform, roughly 40 metres by 30 metres, surrounded by a water-filled moat that would have served as both a defensive feature and a status symbol. These moated sites, which proliferated across Ireland between the 13th and 14th centuries, were typically home to modest manor houses built by colonists who sought to establish agricultural estates in the rich farmlands of Leinster.

The Ballincrea site follows the classic pattern of Anglo-Norman moated homesteads; a raised earthen platform where a timber or stone house once stood, enclosed by a substantial ditch that could be flooded from nearby streams or springs. Archaeological evidence from similar sites suggests these homesteads would have included not just the main dwelling but also outbuildings for storage, livestock, and agricultural processing. The moat itself, typically three to four metres wide and up to two metres deep, provided security against raids whilst simultaneously draining the platform to create dry foundations for buildings.

Today, the site appears as a series of earthworks in the landscape, best visible in aerial photography or when winter light casts long shadows across the field. Like many of Ireland’s estimated 750 moated sites, Ballincrea represents a forgotten chapter of medieval settlement, when minor lords and prosperous farmers created these defended homesteads across the countryside. The concentration of such sites in County Kilkenny; one of the most densely settled Anglo-Norman regions; reflects the area’s strategic importance as a frontier between the colonised lands and Gaelic territories during the Middle Ages.