First recorded on the Ordnance Survey’s 6-inch map from 1902, the site shows up as a rectangular enclosure, though its current state makes proper investigation nearly impossible. The thick vegetation that has claimed the area over the past century has effectively sealed away whatever secrets this ancient fortification might hold.

Moated sites like this one were once common across medieval Ireland, typically dating from the 13th to 14th centuries. These defensive structures usually consisted of a raised platform surrounded by a water-filled ditch, providing both protection and status for their inhabitants. The rectangular shape noted in the early 20th-century mapping suggests this was likely a Anglo-Norman settlement; a small manor house or farmstead that would have been home to colonists during the medieval period.

Without proper archaeological excavation, the exact nature and date of the Garraneishal site remain tantalisingly unclear. What we do know comes from that single cartographic reference from 1902, preserved in the Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Until someone manages to clear the overgrowth and conduct a proper survey, this piece of West Cork’s medieval past will continue to slumber beneath its blanket of brambles and ivy, a reminder of how quickly nature reclaims what humans leave behind.