This moated site consists of a rectangular, grass-covered platform measuring approximately 31.6 metres east to west and 28.5 metres north to south, rising between one and 1.6 metres above the surrounding landscape. The platform’s corners are slightly elevated, giving the structure a subtle crown that would have made it even more imposing in its heyday.

What makes this site particularly intriguing is its defensive architecture. The platform is surrounded by flat-bottomed moats on three sides; the eastern, southern, and western boundaries. These moats vary in width from 4.8 to 7 metres at the top, narrowing to 2.5 to 5 metres at their base, with depths ranging from half a metre to 1.2 metres. On the eastern side, there’s an additional defensive feature: a flat-topped outer bank about 3.3 metres wide and half a metre high. The northern side tells a different story; instead of a constructed moat, a natural band of rushes about 4.4 metres wide provides the boundary, suggesting the medieval builders cleverly incorporated the wet ground into their defensive scheme.

Field banks enclose the entire complex on all sides except the north, creating a total footprint of roughly 59 metres east to west and 46 metres north to south. These moated sites, found scattered across the Irish midlands, were typically built between the 13th and 14th centuries by Anglo-Norman settlers or Gaelicised Norman families. They served as fortified farmsteads; places where local lords could manage their agricultural estates whilst maintaining a degree of protection from raiders or rival clans. The Killeen West example, documented by Michael Moore in 2010, represents one of the better-preserved examples of these fascinating medieval settlements that once dotted the Roscommon landscape.