This roughly rectangular earthwork first appeared on the Ordnance Survey maps of 1839, where cartographers carefully noted how the townland boundary kinked eastward to avoid disturbing the ancient structure. Today, what remains is a slightly raised platform measuring approximately 30 by 32 metres, its boundaries still traceable along the southeast and southwest edges where old field boundaries have preserved its outline.

The site tells a story of gradual decline and transformation. By the time surveyors returned to map the area in 1900–01, much of the original structure had vanished; only a small field marked its location. Local historian Barry, writing in 1977, concluded that the enclosure had been removed sometime during those intervening sixty years. Yet despite centuries of agricultural activity and neglect, the earthwork refuses to disappear entirely. Faint traces of what was once an external fosse, or defensive ditch, can still be detected by those who know where to look.

Now overgrown with trees and scrub vegetation, the site offers a glimpse into Ireland’s medieval past when such moated homesteads dotted the landscape. These fortified farmsteads, typically built by Anglo-Norman settlers or prosperous Irish families, served as both defensive structures and status symbols. Though this particular example at Fiddaun Lower may appear unremarkable to the casual observer, its survival through centuries of agricultural change makes it a valuable piece of Kilkenny’s archaeological heritage, quietly persisting in the landscape long after its original purpose has been forgotten.