Moated site, Caherbaun, Co. Tipperary South
The moated site at Caherbaun in County Tipperary South sits on a south-facing slope in what is now improved pasture land.
Moated site, Caherbaun, Co. Tipperary South
The site consists of a rectangular area measuring roughly 40 metres northwest to southeast and 36 metres northeast to southwest. The boundaries of this ancient enclosure are still visible as earthen scarps; a 28-metre-long scarp defines the northwest side, whilst another marks the southeast end. Along the northeast side, there’s an unusual broad bank about 27 metres long and 25 metres wide, which may have formed when inner and outer defensive banks were pushed together over time, filling in what was once a fosse or defensive ditch.
The defensive features of this site are particularly well-preserved in places. Remnants of the original fosse can still be traced along the northwest side, where it measures nearly 11 metres in total width with a basal width of 2.4 metres and a depth of 0.8 metres. This defensive ditch has been partially filled in over the centuries; a field boundary now runs through it at the southeast end, whilst a trackway cuts across it to the southwest. Traces of an outer bank, measuring 16 metres in overall width and standing 0.8 metres high on its inner side, can still be seen at the northwest corner of the site.
The interior of the enclosure has an uneven surface with a southeast-facing slope and tends to hold water, suggesting poor drainage. The site doesn’t stand alone in the landscape; a rectangular enclosure directly abuts it to the west, whilst a ringfort lies approximately 60 metres to the west-northwest. According to research by Cahill in 1982, historical Ordnance Survey maps show that a stream was once diverted around the western side of the site, though this feature is no longer evident. Today, deciduous forestry grows about 30 metres to the northwest of the moated site, adding to the pastoral character of this medieval Irish landscape.





