Moated site, Carrownagappul, Co. Sligo
In the pastures of Carrownagappul, County Sligo, a medieval moated site sits quietly on boggy ground beside a stream, its rectangular earthworks still clearly visible after centuries.
Moated site, Carrownagappul, Co. Sligo
The site measures approximately 29 metres north to south and 28.3 metres east to west, enclosed by a distinctive double defensive system of ditches, or fosses, with an earthen bank running between them. This bank stands about 4 metres wide, rising 0.8 metres above the interior ground level and 0.5 metres on the exterior side.
The inner fosse forms a complete circuit around the site, measuring 4.6 metres wide and 0.6 metres deep, with a notably flat bottom that remains waterlogged throughout the year. The outer defensive ditch, slightly wider at 5.2 metres and roughly 0.5 metres deep, is less well preserved; only sections remain visible at strategic points including the southern end of the western side, the northern end of the eastern side, and at the southeast corner. These boggy ditches would have provided formidable protection for whatever structure once stood within the enclosure.
A 4-metre-wide causeway crosses the inner fosse on the eastern side, marking the original entrance to the site. This type of moated enclosure typically dates from the Anglo-Norman period in Ireland, roughly the 13th to 14th centuries, when such defensive homesteads were constructed by colonists and wealthy Irish families alike. The waterlogged conditions that make the site challenging to explore today have likely helped preserve its earthworks, offering modern visitors a remarkably intact glimpse of medieval Irish defensive architecture.