The site, recorded in Barry’s 1977 archaeological survey, consisted of a raised platform surrounded by a defensive wet moat that measured 3.5 metres wide and plunged 1.5 metres deep. This type of fortification, known as a moated site, was typically built by Anglo-Norman settlers or wealthy Irish families during the 13th and 14th centuries as both a defensive structure and a statement of social status.

The Cools moated site would have originally served as the foundation for a timber hall or tower house, with the water-filled moat providing protection from raiders whilst also draining the surrounding land for agricultural use. These structures were particularly common in Wexford, where the Anglo-Norman influence was strong following their arrival in 1169. The raised platform would have supported domestic buildings, storage facilities, and possibly a small chapel, creating a self-contained settlement that could withstand the uncertainties of medieval Irish life.

Unfortunately, by the time the Archaeological Inventory of County Wexford was published in 1996, the site had already been destroyed, leaving only historical records of its existence. Today, the location where this medieval fortification once commanded the hillside is covered in dense scrub, with no visible traces remaining at ground level. The loss of such sites represents a significant gap in our understanding of medieval settlement patterns in southeast Ireland, though the detailed recording work of archaeologists like Barry ensures that at least some memory of these lost landscapes survives in the historical record.