Moated site, Coggalbeg, Co. Roscommon

Co. Roscommon |

Castle Features

Moated site, Coggalbeg, Co. Roscommon

In a shallow valley with rising ground to the west and east, the moated site at Coggalbeg sits on a gentle westward slope, with a stream flowing north to south about 40 metres to the west and a spring roughly 20 metres to the southeast.

The central rectangular area, now overgrown, measures 32 metres northwest to southeast and 30 metres northeast to southwest. It's defined by substantial flat-topped earthen banks that stand 4.2 to 4.6 metres wide at their base, narrowing to 2 metres at the top, with an internal height of 0.4 to 0.5 metres and an external height of 1.6 to 1.7 metres.

These inner banks are separated from outer defensive banks by flat-bottomed moats, which measure 7.2 to 7.7 metres wide at the top and 4.8 to 5 metres at the base. The outer banks, where they survive at the northwest side, have a base width of 5 metres and top width of 2.2 metres, with an internal height of 1.3 to 1.4 metres and external height varying from 0.2 to 0.9 metres. The outer bank has been removed at the eastern and southern corners, giving the entire site maximum external dimensions of 55 metres northwest to southeast. Records from 1982 note a small rectangular house foundation measuring 4.1 by 4.2 metres, defined by a slight bank 0.35 metres high at the northern corner, though this may now be hidden in the undergrowth.

Archaeological investigations have attempted to uncover more about this medieval fortification's history. Testing carried out in 2002 immediately to the west of the site failed to produce any related material, and further work in 2010 to the southwest similarly yielded no archaeological finds connected to the moated site. The monument has been under a preservation order since 1982, protecting this example of medieval defensive architecture that once provided security for a farming family or minor lord in medieval Roscommon.

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