Known locally as the ‘Danish Fort’, this square enclosure appears on a 1774 map of the Lismore, Lisfinny, Mogeely and Curraglass manors, drawn by the cartographer B. Scalé. The map, now preserved in the National Library of Ireland’s manuscript collection, provides one of the few remaining pieces of evidence for what archaeologists believe may have been a moated site; a type of medieval settlement typically surrounded by a water-filled ditch for defence.

Though you won’t spot any traces of the Danish Fort if you walk across the field today, its presence on historical maps tells us something important about how this landscape was once organised and defended. The name itself is fascinating, as ‘Danish Fort’ was often applied to ancient earthworks in Ireland, regardless of whether they had any actual connection to Viking settlements. Local tradition frequently attributed mysterious old structures to the Danes, creating a folklore that persisted well into the modern era.

What makes this site even more intriguing is that it’s not alone; another possible moated site sits just 300 metres to the north, suggesting this area may have been more densely settled during the medieval period than its current pastoral appearance would suggest. These moated sites, typically dating from the 13th to 15th centuries, were often home to Anglo-Norman colonists or prosperous Irish families, serving as fortified farmsteads that controlled and worked the surrounding agricultural land.