Though it’s no longer visible at ground level, this historic enclosure once formed an important part of the local landscape during the medieval period. The site appears on the first edition Ordnance Survey map from 1840, where it’s marked as a rectangular enclosure, providing valuable evidence of its original layout and dimensions.

Moated sites like this one were typically built between the 13th and 14th centuries, serving as defended homesteads for Anglo-Norman settlers or prosperous Irish families. These sites consisted of a raised platform surrounded by a water-filled moat, which provided both defence and drainage in what was often marshy ground. The rectangular shape noted in the historical maps was the most common form for these settlements, usually enclosing an area where a timber or stone house would have stood, along with various outbuildings for agricultural purposes.

While time and agricultural activity have obscured the physical remains at Ballyknockane, the site remains an important piece of North Tipperary’s medieval heritage. Its position on slightly elevated ground was strategically chosen, offering good views across the surrounding countryside whilst keeping the settlement above the dampest ground. These seemingly empty fields hold centuries of history, representing a time when this quiet corner of Tipperary was home to a bustling farmstead, complete with defensive earthworks that would have been an imposing sight in the medieval landscape.