Moated site, Cloghchurnel, Co. Longford
On a gently sloping shelf of land facing north-northeast in Cloghchurnel, County Longford, the remnants of a medieval moated site tell a story of defensive ingenuity.
Moated site, Cloghchurnel, Co. Longford
This wedge-shaped earthwork, measuring roughly 33 metres from north to south and 31.5 metres from east to west at its broadest northern end, would have once protected a dwelling or small settlement. The site’s defining feature is a substantial scarp, varying in height from half a metre to over four metres, which creates a raised platform that dominates the surrounding landscape.
Encircling three sides of this elevated area, a remarkably wide fosse, or defensive ditch, once provided formidable protection. This flat-bottomed channel, ranging from six to nearly eleven metres in width, would have been a significant obstacle for any would-be attackers, even though it’s now only between 20 centimetres and a metre deep due to centuries of silting and erosion. The western, northern, and eastern sides retain clear evidence of this impressive earthwork, whilst the southern bank has been levelled over time, leaving only faint traces of what was once a complete defensive circuit.
Like many Irish moated sites, this example likely dates from the Anglo-Norman period, when such fortifications served as both status symbols and practical defences for minor lords and prosperous farmers. The original entrance has been lost to time, making it difficult to determine exactly how residents would have accessed the protected interior. Today, this grass-covered monument stands as a subtle but fascinating reminder of medieval life in the Irish midlands, its earthen banks and ditches preserving the footprint of a fortification that once bristled with timber palisades and perhaps even a modest hall or tower.