Moated site, Ballyhone, Co. Tipperary South
In the gently rolling wet pastures on the northeast side of an ancient field system near Ballyhone, County Tipperary South, lies a rectangular moated site that catches the eye from aerial photographs.
Moated site, Ballyhone, Co. Tipperary South
This slightly raised platform measures 28 metres north to south and 40 metres east to west, surrounded by the remnants of what was once a formidable defensive structure. The site sits quietly in the landscape, its interior clear of overgrowth and undulating gently with the natural contours of the land.
The earthworks that define this medieval site tell a story of careful construction and long abandonment. A low earthen bank, standing just 0.1 metres high on the interior but reaching 0.6 metres on the exterior, encircles the southern, western, and northern sides. This bank, measuring 1.8 metres across at its top and spreading to nearly 8 metres at its base, would have been considerably more imposing in its heyday. The eastern side lacks this bank entirely; instead, a 4-metre-wide scarp about half a metre high defines the boundary here. Outside the bank runs a wide, flat-bottomed fosse, or defensive ditch, best preserved along the southern and western sides where it reaches depths of 0.4 metres with a base width of 3 metres.
Time and agriculture have left their marks on this moated site. The fosse has become quite shallow along the northern and western sections, and modern field drains, now disused, connect to its outer edge at several points: the southeast corner, towards the western end of the south side, at the southwest corner, and midway along the western side. These later additions speak to the site’s transformation from medieval stronghold to part of the working agricultural landscape. First identified as a rectangular enclosure in aerial photograph Bruff 66, 2044, this site forms part of the broader archaeological tapestry of the area, connected to the nearby relic field system catalogued as TS065-046.





