The site occupies a piece of tillage land that overlooks the low-lying wetlands stretching towards the Awbeg River, which flows roughly 220 metres to the south. Though the physical remains may not be immediately obvious to the casual observer, historical maps reveal its former significance; the 1842 Ordnance Survey six-inch map shows it as a small rectangular field measuring approximately 30 metres north to south and 25 metres east to west, enclosed by a distinctive double boundary fence along its northern and eastern sides.

The double fence arrangement is a characteristic feature of medieval moated sites, which were typically constructed by Anglo-Norman settlers and wealthy Irish families between the 13th and 15th centuries. These fortified farmsteads consisted of a raised platform surrounded by a water-filled moat, providing both defence and a display of status in the medieval landscape. The presence of a well, marked at the western end of the outer northern fence on the old map, would have been essential for the site’s inhabitants, providing fresh water separate from the defensive moat.

Whilst the site hasn’t been recently inspected and much of its above-ground features may have been lost to centuries of agricultural activity, its position in the landscape tells us something about medieval settlement patterns in Cork. The choice of location; on a slope with good drainage overlooking wetlands near a river; would have provided strategic advantages including natural defence, access to water resources, and views across the surrounding countryside. Such sites form an important part of Ireland’s medieval heritage, representing the homes of prosperous farming families who shaped the rural landscape we see today.