Moated site, Culleenrevagh, Co. Roscommon
Sitting atop an east-west drumlin ridge in Culleenrevagh, County Roscommon, this rectangular earthwork offers a glimpse into medieval Irish defensive architecture.
Moated site, Culleenrevagh, Co. Roscommon
The site measures 46 metres from east to west and 40 metres north to south, creating a substantial grass-covered platform that would have provided excellent views across the surrounding landscape. The elevated position, characteristic of many medieval fortifications, would have given its occupants both defensive advantages and a commanding presence over the local area.
The earthwork is defined by scarps on all sides, ranging from a modest 0.2 metres in height along most edges to an impressive 1.5 metres on the southern side. This variation in height suggests deliberate engineering to maximise the natural topography of the drumlin. Rather than a scarp on the western side, there’s a slight fosse or moat feature, approximately 5 metres wide at the top and 0.2 metres deep, which creates a physical separation between this platform and an adjacent moated site known by the archaeological reference RO017-013001.
The relationship between these two defensive features is particularly intriguing, as paired fortifications like these often indicate complex medieval settlement patterns. The presence of both sites together suggests this location held significant strategic or economic importance, possibly serving as a local power centre where noble families managed their estates and administered justice. Such earthworks typically date from the Anglo-Norman period through to the later medieval era, when moated sites and raised platforms were common features of the Irish landscape, blending native Irish and imported defensive traditions.