Moated site, Poulakerry,Rosgoordagh, Co. Tipperary North
Sitting on top of a northeast to southwest ridge in Poulakerry, Rosgoordagh, County Tipperary North, this medieval moated site offers a glimpse into Ireland's defensive past.
Moated site, Poulakerry,Rosgoordagh, Co. Tipperary North
The site overlooks a ravine with a stream running immediately to the southeast, whilst a ringfort lies nearby to the west. What makes this location particularly intriguing is its upland position; an unusual choice for a moated site, especially when combined with its dry moat, a feature that sets it apart from the typically water-filled defensive structures found elsewhere in Ireland.
The site itself consists of a raised square platform measuring 48 metres from northwest to southeast and 40 metres from northeast to southwest. This elevated area is surrounded by a flat-topped earthen bank that rises between half a metre to a metre on the inner side and an impressive 2 to 2.5 metres on the outer side, with a width of about 1.5 metres. Beyond this bank lies the outer fosse, or defensive ditch, which runs 3 metres wide and a metre deep around the perimeter. Access to the site was controlled through a single causewayed entrance on the southern side, measuring 3 metres across.
The remarkable preservation of this moated site owes something to later agricultural developments in the area. A nineteenth-century field bank, now lined with mature beech trees, follows the outer edge of the medieval fosse, inadvertently helping to protect and define the original boundaries. This layering of historical land use, from medieval defence to Victorian-era field management, creates a palimpsest of Irish rural history that continues to shape the landscape today.





