First documented on the 1842 Ordnance Survey map as a rectangular enclosure measuring roughly 50 metres north to south and 35 metres east to west, this monument originally formed part of a much larger fortified complex. By the early 20th century, OS maps showed it as a raised platform in the northeast corner of a field, surrounded by a water-filled moat that drew its supply from the nearby stream.

When archaeologist Glasscock excavated the site in the mid-1960s, he found a rectangular earthen platform measuring 195 by 144 feet, protected by an earthen bank that rose five feet on the inside and eight feet externally above the moat level. The water-filled moat itself spanned twelve feet across at water level, with raised banks at each corner suggesting defensive towers or watchtowers once stood there. The excavation revealed three distinct phases of occupation: initial activity associated with digging the moat, including evidence of fires on the original ground surface; a second phase where soil was spread across the platform and a stone path was laid; and a final phase featuring what appears to have been a stone building’s foundation raft at the centre, complete with flagged pathways, covered drains, and cobbled surfaces. Fragmentary stone foundations in the northeast corner suggest outbuildings, whilst a ditch along the inner face of the earthen bank likely held a wooden palisade.

Among the finds were practical items that paint a picture of daily medieval life: the base of a rotary quern for grinding grain, oyster shells indicating diet and perhaps trade connections, various nails, and a fragment of a wooden dish. A particularly interesting discovery was a rowel from an English-type spur dating to the 16th century, suggesting continued occupation or visits well into the early modern period. Radiocarbon dating of timber from a causeway in the western moat yielded a date of 1225±70 AD, placing the site firmly in the medieval period. Though the site appears levelled today and has been protected under preservation order since 1965, it remains an important piece of Cork’s medieval landscape, representing the kind of defended homestead that once dotted the Irish countryside.