Though it never appeared on any edition of the OS 6-inch maps, aerial photography from the mid-20th century reveals its ghostly outline; a roughly rectangular earthwork measuring approximately 20 metres northeast to southwest and 10 metres northwest to southeast. The site appears clearly on aerial photograph Bruff No. 5/2030, yet visitors walking across the field today would find no trace of it at ground level.

This type of archaeological feature represents a fascinating aspect of medieval Ireland’s landscape, when Anglo-Norman settlers and wealthy Irish families constructed moated sites as defended homesteads between the 13th and 15th centuries. These earthworks typically consisted of a raised platform surrounded by a water-filled ditch, upon which stood a timber hall or tower house. The moat served both defensive and status purposes, marking out the residence as a place of importance whilst providing practical protection in uncertain times.

The fact that this particular site is only visible from above speaks to how agricultural improvement and centuries of ploughing have gradually erased these medieval earthworks from the visible landscape. Many such sites across Ireland have been levelled or filled in over time, their presence now only detectable through crop marks or soil variations that show up in aerial surveys. The Kilcornan example, compiled and documented by Jean Farrelly in August 2011, serves as a reminder that Ireland’s medieval past often lies just beneath the surface, invisible to the casual observer but still imprinted on the land.