First recorded on the 1841 Ordnance Survey 6-inch map, this rectangular enclosure once stretched roughly 35 metres east to west and 25 metres north to south. The site represents a type of fortified homestead that was particularly common in medieval Ireland, where a dwelling would have been surrounded by a water-filled defensive ditch.

Moated sites like this one at Kilcoke were typically built between the 13th and 14th centuries, often by Anglo-Norman settlers or prosperous Gaelic families. The moat itself would have served multiple purposes; not only did it provide defence against raiders, but it also helped with drainage in Ireland’s notoriously damp climate and marked the social status of its inhabitants. These sites usually contained a timber or stone house, along with various outbuildings for livestock and storage, all protected within the moated enclosure.

Today, no visible traces remain above ground at Kilcoke, with centuries of agriculture and natural processes having levelled the earthworks that once defined this medieval homestead. The site was documented in the Archaeological Inventory of County Laois in 1995, compiled by P. David Sweetman, Olive Alcock and Bernie Moran, ensuring that even though the physical remains have vanished, the historical significance of this once-fortified dwelling place hasn’t been forgotten.