Moated site, Duckstown, Co. Limerick

Moated site, Duckstown, Co. Limerick

In the pastures of Duckstown, County Limerick, lies a rectangular earthwork that once served as a medieval moated site.

Moated site, Duckstown, Co. Limerick

The enclosure measures 39 metres from north to south and 33.5 metres from east to west, surrounded by an earth and stone bank that rises to about a third of a metre on the inside and nearly a full metre on the outside. A shallow fosse, or defensive ditch, runs along the exterior from the southeast to the north; though now only 20 centimetres deep with a base width of 1.1 metres, it would have once provided additional protection to whatever structure stood within.

Today, cattle have taken their toll on this ancient monument. A 3-metre-wide break in the bank at the south-southeast serves as a cattle pass, and the earthwork has been considerably worn down by livestock, with the northwest section remaining the best preserved. A modern field boundary cuts across the site from southeast to northwest, passing just northeast of centre, and the northeastern corner has been completely levelled. The interior remains level and continues to serve as pasture land, much as the surrounding fields have for generations.



This site was catalogued as a moated site by historian Barry in 1981, who included it as site number 15 in his survey of such structures. These rectangular earthworks, typically dating from the Anglo-Norman period, were often constructed around manor houses or farmsteads belonging to colonists or wealthy landowners. The moat and bank combination would have provided both defence and drainage in what was likely marshy ground, creating a dry platform for buildings whilst simultaneously marking the status of its inhabitants.

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Duckstown, Co. Limerick
52.48812086, -8.92223353
52.48812086,-8.92223353
Duckstown 
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