When crops grow over ancient buried features, they reveal ghostly outlines of structures that vanished centuries ago; a phenomenon known as cropmarks. In June 1990, an aerial photograph captured something remarkable here: the shadow of what appears to be a double moated site, two rectangular enclosures sitting side by side, each surrounded by its own defensive ditch or fosse.

The monument’s layout suggests this was once a substantial fortified settlement. The two main enclosures are conjoined, creating a figure-of-eight pattern in the earth, whilst a smaller rectangular annexe with its own narrower ditch extends from the southern side. These defensive earthworks would have originally been much more imposing; deep ditches filled with water surrounding raised platforms where buildings once stood, protecting the inhabitants from raiders and wild animals alike.

What makes this site particularly intriguing is its setting within a broader agricultural landscape. The aerial photographs reveal a network of linear cropmarks surrounding the moated site, traces of an ancient field system that would have fed the settlement’s inhabitants. These rectangular fields, part of a wider cropmark landscape that includes several other archaeological features in the area, paint a picture of a thriving medieval community that worked the land here centuries ago. Though only faint traces remain visible today, even on specialised archaeological imaging, this hidden monument offers a tantalising glimpse into Ireland’s medieval rural past.