The enclosure measures roughly 35 metres north to south and 38 metres east to west, creating an almost square footprint that would have once been surrounded by a water-filled defensive ditch. What makes this site particularly intriguing is the pattern of cultivation ridges running east to west across its interior; these parallel lines suggest the space was later repurposed for agriculture, long after its original defensive purpose had been abandoned.

A semi-circular annexe extends from the western side of the main enclosure, visible as a curved earthwork on Digital Globe aerial photographs from January 2020. This additional structure might have served as an outer bailey or perhaps housed agricultural buildings associated with the medieval settlement. Such moated sites were typically constructed by Anglo-Norman colonists or wealthy Irish families between the 13th and 14th centuries, serving as fortified farmsteads that combined residential, defensive, and agricultural functions.

The preservation of these earthworks at Cloncrave offers a tangible connection to medieval Ireland’s complex settlement patterns. While many similar sites have been lost to modern farming or development, this example remains readable in the landscape, its ditches and banks creating subtle shadows and crop marks that tell the story of how people once lived, farmed, and defended their holdings in medieval Westmeath. The site was documented by Caimin O’Brien using details provided by Jean-Charles Caillère, adding to our understanding of Ireland’s rich archaeological heritage.