Moated site, Montrath, Co. Westmeath
In the countryside of County Westmeath, a curious square earthwork sits on flat pastureland near Montrath, offering uninterrupted views across the surrounding landscape.
Moated site, Montrath, Co. Westmeath
This medieval moated site measures 27 metres on each side and consists of an earthen and stone bank with an external fosse, or defensive ditch, running around its perimeter. Historic Ordnance Survey maps from the 19th and early 20th centuries clearly mark this feature as a square enclosure, testament to its enduring presence in the landscape.
The site appears to have a single entrance on its southern side, where a 3-metre gap in the earthworks may have served as a causewayed entrance; a common feature that would have allowed controlled access across the defensive ditch. Such moated sites were typically constructed during the Anglo-Norman period in Ireland, from the late 12th century onwards, and served as fortified homesteads for wealthy landowners or minor nobility. The combination of bank and fosse would have provided both practical defence and a visible statement of status in the medieval landscape.
Today, this well-preserved earthwork remains clearly visible in the pastoral setting, its geometric form standing out against the natural contours of the land. While many similar sites across Ireland have been lost to agriculture or development, this example at Montrath continues to offer insights into medieval settlement patterns and the ways in which Anglo-Norman colonists adapted their defensive architecture to the Irish countryside.