Moated site, Glenour, Co. Wexford
The moated site at Glenour in County Wexford sits on the edge of a plateau, looking out over a stream that runs northeast to southwest about 60 metres below.
Moated site, Glenour, Co. Wexford
This circular earthwork, measuring roughly 25 metres across and now covered in scrub vegetation, represents a type of medieval settlement that was once common across Ireland. The site is defined by an impressive flat-bottomed moat that varies in dimensions around its circumference; at the southern end, it spans 7.5 metres across at the top and narrows to 4.5 metres at the base, reaching depths of up to 2 metres, whilst the northwestern section is slightly narrower but equally deep.
The defensive moat is accompanied by an outer field bank that runs from the southwest around to the north, though the section from north to east has been lost over time. Two causeways cross the moat, providing access to the central area; a wider entrance at the southeast measuring 2.5 metres across appears to be a more recent addition, whilst an older, narrower causeway of 1.5 metres width can be found at the southwest. These entrances would have controlled access to what was likely a defended farmstead or small manor house during the medieval period.
Archaeological testing carried out immediately to the east of the site in 2006 failed to uncover any related material, suggesting that the main focus of activity was confined to the moated area itself. Like many such sites in Ireland, this moated enclosure probably dates to the 13th or 14th century, when Anglo-Norman settlers and prosperous Irish families built these defensive homesteads across the countryside. Today, whilst the central buildings have long since vanished, the earthworks remain as an evocative reminder of medieval life in County Wexford.





