This rectangular earthwork consists of an earthen bank standing roughly 1.6 metres high, which would have formed the inner defensive perimeter of the site. Outside this bank runs an external fosse, or defensive ditch, measuring about 1.15 metres deep; a typical feature of these fortified homesteads that would have been filled with water or left dry depending on the local conditions and defensive needs.

Moated sites like the one at Gurteenroe were particularly common in medieval Ireland between the 13th and 14th centuries, often built by Anglo-Norman settlers or wealthy Gaelic families. These earthworks served as defended farmsteads rather than true castles, providing protection for agricultural communities whilst allowing them to oversee their lands and livestock. The rectangular shape of this particular site is characteristic of Anglo-Norman construction, though without excavation it’s difficult to determine who originally built and occupied it.

Today, the interior of the site remains largely inaccessible due to heavy overgrowth, which whilst frustrating for archaeologists and visitors, has likely helped preserve whatever archaeological features lie beneath. The site’s position overlooking Bantry Bay would have provided its medieval inhabitants with excellent views for spotting approaching visitors or threats, whilst the fertile lands of the surrounding pasture explain why this location was chosen for settlement. Though now quiet and overgrown, this earthwork once bustled with the daily activities of a fortified farmstead, its banks and ditches standing guard over families who worked these same fields centuries ago.