Moated site, Mullaghreelan, Co. Kildare
In the countryside of County Kildare, near Mullaghreelan, lies what appears to be the remnants of a medieval moated site.
Moated site, Mullaghreelan, Co. Kildare
First documented on an 1837 Ordnance Survey map, the site shows up as a rectangular enclosure measuring roughly 40 metres northwest to southeast and 45 metres northeast to southwest. Today, visitors to the area can still make out a low, sub-rectangular platform about 23.5 metres wide, situated just north of an east-west field fence that now cuts across the historic site.
Moated sites like this one were typically constructed during the Anglo-Norman period in Ireland, roughly from the 12th to 14th centuries. These earthwork enclosures, surrounded by water-filled ditches, served as fortified homesteads for wealthy landowners; think of them as the medieval equivalent of a gated community. The moat provided both defence and a display of status, whilst the raised platform inside would have supported timber buildings, perhaps a hall house and various outbuildings for daily life and farming activities.
Though time and agriculture have worn down much of the original structure at Mullaghreelan, the site remains an intriguing piece of Ireland’s medieval landscape. The fact that it was significant enough to be marked on early Ordnance Survey maps suggests it was still a recognisable feature in the 19th century, and its survival as even a low earthwork today makes it a tangible link to the Anglo-Norman settlers who once shaped this part of Kildare.