This moated site, measuring roughly 69 metres from west-northwest to east-southeast and 65.5 metres from north-northeast to south-southwest, consists of a grass-covered central area surrounded by earthen banks and water-filled moats. The banks themselves are substantial features, ranging from 4 to 4.5 metres wide, rising about 0.5 to 0.75 metres above the interior ground level and standing 0.9 metres high when viewed from outside.

The moats that ring this ancient enclosure are equally impressive, with flat bottoms spanning 5 to 5.5 metres at their base and widening to 8.2 metres at the top, reaching depths of 0.85 to 0.95 metres. These defensive water features weren’t simply dug and forgotten; evidence suggests they were later modified for drainage purposes, with channels entering at the northwest and southwest corners before exiting at the southwest and southeast corners into a small north-south stream. Slight outer banks, measuring 2 to 2.6 metres wide and just 0.25 metres high, likely formed when the moats were recut to serve this more practical purpose.

Such moated sites are scattered throughout Ireland’s midlands, typically dating from the Anglo-Norman period when settlers constructed these defensive homesteads in areas prone to flooding. The Bredagh example, documented by Michael Moore in 2010, represents a well-preserved specimen of this settlement type, where the combination of natural marshland and artificial water defences created a formidable barrier against unwanted visitors whilst simultaneously managing the challenging wetland environment.