Moated site, Lissacurkia, Co. Roscommon
At the northern edge of a plateau in Lissacurkia, County Roscommon, sits a curious rectangular earthwork that has puzzled archaeologists and historians alike.
Moated site, Lissacurkia, Co. Roscommon
This grass-covered platform measures approximately 48 metres from north to south and 31 metres from east to west, surrounded by substantial earthen banks that rise between 3.7 and 6.5 metres wide. The interior banks stand modestly at 20 to 30 centimetres high, whilst the exterior banks are considerably more impressive, generally reaching 80 centimetres in height and up to 1.7 metres on the northern side.
What makes this site particularly intriguing is the faint trace of what appears to be a fosse or moat that once encircled three sides of the structure; only the western side lacks this defensive feature. The moat’s base spans 2 to 3.3 metres in width, though centuries of erosion have reduced its depth to a mere 10 to 20 centimetres. Curiously, no original entrance can be identified, leaving questions about how people would have accessed this elevated platform. The western side aligns perfectly with a north-south field bank that forms part of a larger medieval field system, with remnant field banks still visible approaching the northwest and southeast corners of the site.
This moated site likely dates to the medieval period, when such earthworks served as defensive homesteads for Anglo-Norman settlers or Gaelicised families. Its proximity to a cashel, a stone-built ringfort located just 50 metres to the northwest, suggests this area was of considerable importance to successive generations of inhabitants. Together, these monuments paint a picture of a landscape that has been continuously occupied and modified over centuries, each culture leaving its mark on the Roscommon countryside.