Moated site, Garraun North, Co. Roscommon
Standing on a gentle rise above the surrounding lowlands, this medieval moated site at Garraun North represents a fascinating glimpse into Roscommon's past.
Moated site, Garraun North, Co. Roscommon
The site consists of a rectangular grass-covered platform measuring approximately 41 metres from northeast to southwest and 34 metres from northwest to southeast. This raised area is defined by earthen banks along its northwestern and southeastern sides, which stand between 3.3 and 4.2 metres wide. From the inside, these banks rise modestly to about half a metre, whilst from the outside they appear more substantial at roughly a metre in height.
The platform is surrounded by what were once water-filled moats, now overgrown but still clearly visible in the landscape. These flat-bottomed ditches are present on all sides except the southeast; on the northeastern side, for example, the moat spans nearly 12 metres across at the top, narrowing to 7 metres at its base, with a depth of just over half a metre. Beyond the moats, traces of an outer defensive bank can still be detected, though like much of the site, it has become heavily overgrown over the centuries. This outer earthwork measures about 7 metres wide and stands roughly 65 centimetres high where best preserved.
Whilst the original entrance to this fortified homestead has been lost to time, the site likely dates from the Anglo-Norman period when such moated sites were commonly constructed across Ireland. These defended farmsteads typically housed prosperous farming families who could afford the considerable labour required to dig the moats and build the banks. The absence of the moat and outer bank on the southeastern side suggests this may have been where the entrance once stood, though centuries of agricultural activity have obscured any definitive evidence.