This moated site measures 11.5 metres north to south and 16 metres east to west, enclosed by an earthen bank that rises just 20 centimetres on the inside but reaches 40 centimetres on the exterior. The three-metre-wide bank is accompanied by an external fosse of the same width, creating the defensive perimeter typical of such structures. A possible entrance, two metres wide, breaks the western side of the enclosure, whilst an old quarry lies to the south.

What makes this site particularly intriguing is its potential connection to the Cistercian Abbey at Boyle in County Roscommon. Historical records show that the abbey held substantial lands in South Sligo, and this appears to be the only moated site within those holdings. This raises the fascinating possibility that the earthwork served as a moated grange; essentially a fortified farm complex where the monks or their tenants would have managed agricultural operations, stored produce, and perhaps provided accommodation for those working the abbey’s lands.

The site forms part of a wider field system, designated SL033-070 in archaeological records, and represents the kind of medieval rural settlement that once dotted the Irish countryside. These moated sites, typically dating from the 13th to 14th centuries, were often built by Anglo-Norman settlers or religious institutions seeking to establish secure agricultural centres in what could be uncertain times. The earthworks that remain today offer a tangible link to this period of Irish history, when monastic orders wielded considerable economic power through their extensive landholdings.