This moated site, whilst referenced in historical documents from 1987, doesn’t appear on either the 1841 or 1909 Ordnance Survey six-inch maps; a curious omission that adds to its mysterious character. Today, no visible surface remains mark the spot where this defensive structure once stood, leaving only archival records to tell its story.

Moated sites like this one were common features of the Irish medieval landscape, typically dating from the 13th to 14th centuries. They consisted of farmsteads or manor houses surrounded by wide, water-filled ditches that served both defensive and status purposes. The moats, usually rectangular or square in plan, protected the homes of Anglo-Norman colonists and prosperous Irish families alike. The fact that Ballyowen’s moated site sits in an upland area is somewhat unusual, as most were constructed in low-lying locations where the water table could naturally fill the defensive ditches.

The site’s absence from 19th and early 20th century mapping suggests it may have already been substantially degraded by that time, or perhaps considered too insignificant to warrant inclusion. Its documentation in the Archaeological Inventory of County Laois, compiled by P. David Sweetman, Olive Alcock and Bernie Moran in 1995, ensures that whilst the physical structure has been lost to time, its place in the archaeological record of Ireland remains secure.