Though completely levelled and invisible to the casual observer today, this rectangular fortified enclosure once stood as a significant defensive structure, measuring approximately 40 metres north to south and 30 metres east to west. The site was documented on the 1842 Ordnance Survey map, which showed it as a bivallate enclosure; a double-banked fortification with parallel defensive ditches that would have provided protection for whoever lived within.

Today, only subtle hints of the site’s former presence remain. A large stone, measuring 1.8 metres in length and roughly 45 by 30 centimetres in width, sits in the area where the enclosure once stood, possibly a remnant of the original structure. The surrounding field fences that once marked agricultural boundaries have long since been removed, leaving the landscape open and transformed from its 19th-century appearance. Interestingly, the 1935 Ordnance Survey map records two wells immediately west of the site, suggesting a reliable water source that would have been essential for any medieval settlement.

These moated sites, common throughout Ireland, typically date from the 13th to 14th centuries and were often built by Anglo-Norman colonists or wealthy Gaelic families. They served as fortified farmsteads, combining defensive features with agricultural functions. The double banks and ditches at Ballyknockane would have been filled with water where possible, creating a formidable barrier against raiders whilst also demonstrating the status and wealth of its inhabitants. Though the earthworks have been flattened by centuries of farming, the site remains an important piece of Cork’s medieval landscape, recorded and preserved through historical mapping and archaeological survey.