First documented by archaeologist T.B. Barry in 1977, this fortification consists of a roughly square enclosure measuring approximately 23 metres from north-northeast to south-southwest and 26 metres from west-northwest to east-southeast. The site’s defining feature is its stone-faced bank, standing about 1.4 metres high, which would have provided both a physical barrier and an elevated position for defenders.

The moat, or fosse as it’s known in archaeological terms, runs around the perimeter with a width of 4 to 5 metres, creating a formidable water obstacle that would have deterred unwanted visitors. An outer stone-faced bank once provided an additional layer of defence, though it has since been incorporated into the modern field wall system that crosses the landscape today. The original entrance to the enclosure can still be identified on the east-southeast side, where a 2.8-metre-wide gap in the inner bank, reinforced with stone facing, would have controlled access to the protected space within.

Moated sites like Ballyling were typically constructed by Anglo-Norman settlers and wealthy Gaelic families between the 13th and 14th centuries. These fortified homesteads served as both defensive structures and symbols of status, housing everything from manor houses to farm buildings within their protective boundaries. While the buildings that once stood within Ballyling’s banks have long since vanished, the earthworks remain as a testament to medieval Ireland’s complex social hierarchy and the constant need for security in an era of shifting alliances and territorial disputes.