Captured by Dr. D.D.C. Pochin Mould, the photograph shows the main rectangular structure with a curious subcircular annexe attached to its eastern side. When visited on the ground, only slight rises in the crop field hint at what lies beneath the soil; centuries of agriculture having smoothed away most surface traces of this historic site.

This moated site represents a type of medieval settlement that was once common across Ireland, particularly in areas of Anglo-Norman influence. These rectangular enclosures, often surrounded by water-filled ditches or moats, typically date from the 13th to 15th centuries and served as fortified homesteads for wealthy farming families. The subcircular annexe might have functioned as an additional defensive feature, perhaps housing livestock or serving as an outer bailey where daily agricultural activities took place away from the main residence.

The site’s discovery through aerial photography demonstrates how modern surveying techniques continue to reveal Ireland’s hidden archaeological landscape. Soilmarks like these appear when buried ditches and foundations affect crop growth differently than the surrounding soil, creating patterns visible only from above during certain growing conditions. This particular site was documented in the Archaeological Inventory of County Cork, Volume 1, published in 1992, with updates added in 2009 as new research emerged.