This moated site, measuring approximately 20 metres square, is defined by substantial fosse or moat features ranging from 2 to 4 metres in width. The enclosure’s defensive perimeter is broken only by a single entrance gap on its northern side, suggesting controlled access to whatever structures once stood within.

The site remained undetected for centuries until modern technology revealed its secrets. First spotted by Anthony Murphy through aerial imagery, the cropmarks that betray the ancient earthworks are clearly visible on Google Earth, particularly in images from July 2018. These telltale signs appear as variations in crop growth, where the buried ditches affect soil moisture and plant development differently from the surrounding fields, creating a ghostly outline of the medieval structure.

Moated sites like this one at Coolderry were typically constructed between the 13th and 14th centuries, often serving as fortified farmsteads for Anglo-Norman settlers or prosperous Irish families. The wide moat would have been both a defensive feature and a status symbol, whilst also providing drainage and possibly fish for the table. Though the buildings that once stood within have long since vanished, the enduring mark on the landscape continues to tell the story of medieval life in the Irish countryside.