Though nothing remains visible on the ground today, aerial photography from 1970 captured the ghostly outline of a rectangular enclosure etched into the cultivated fields. These cropmarks, visible only from above and under the right conditions, reveal where ancient ditches and earthworks once stood; the different soil depths affecting crop growth and creating tell-tale patterns that betray the presence of buried archaeological features.

This possible moated site sits amongst good company, with at least three other similar enclosures recorded in the surrounding area. Moated sites were a particular feature of Anglo-Norman settlement in Ireland during the 13th and 14th centuries, typically consisting of a rectangular platform surrounded by a water-filled ditch. These weren’t grand castles but rather fortified farmsteads of the middling gentry; prosperous enough to afford some defensive measures but not wealthy enough for stone fortifications. The moat served both practical and symbolic purposes, providing defence against cattle raids whilst announcing the status of its inhabitants.

The site’s discovery through aerial photography highlights how much of Ireland’s medieval landscape remains hidden beneath the surface. What appears as unremarkable farmland to the casual observer can hold centuries of history just below the plough soil. This particular enclosure, documented in the Cambridge University Collection of Aerial Photography, adds another piece to our understanding of medieval settlement patterns in north Kildare, a region that straddled the volatile frontier between English and Gaelic territories during the later Middle Ages.