This moated site forms an almost perfect square, measuring 42 metres on each side, and represents a type of defensive settlement that once dotted the Irish countryside. The site’s most striking feature is its substantial earthen bank, standing nearly a metre high on the inside and over two metres on the exterior, which would have originally supported a wooden palisade or similar defensive structure.

The fortification is surrounded by a wide, flat-bottomed fosse or ditch, measuring almost five metres across and nearly two metres deep. This water-filled moat would have served as the primary defence for whatever structures once stood within the enclosure, likely a timber hall and associated buildings of a medieval farmstead. Beyond the main ditch, a counterscarp bank adds an extra layer of defence; this outer earthwork stands just over half a metre high and runs for more than four metres in width. On the northwest side, this outer bank has been incorporated into an old, disused trackway, showing how later generations adapted and reused these ancient features.

The site’s relationship with water management is particularly interesting. A stream runs parallel to the northeast side of the enclosure, though it has since shifted from its original course. In the eastern corner of the site, a leat or artificial water channel can still be traced, which once connected the moat system to the former streambed. This sophisticated water management system would have kept the defensive ditches filled whilst also providing drainage, demonstrating the practical engineering skills of medieval settlers in Ireland.