Moated site, Sladagh, Co. Tipperary South
In the townland of Sladagh in South Tipperary, a rectangular medieval moated site sits quietly within a small woodland, surrounded by the everyday rhythms of rural Ireland; tillage fields to the south and pasture to the north.
Moated site, Sladagh, Co. Tipperary South
The site occupies a gentle north-facing slope and measures approximately 20 metres north to south and 30 metres east to west. Its defining features include an earthen scarp standing 1.15 metres high with a width of 2.4 metres, accompanied in places by a low bank that rises 0.45 metres on the interior side and 1.65 metres on the exterior, with an overall width of 4.7 metres.
The enclosing elements of this medieval earthwork are only accessible along the southern side, eastern side, and the southern half of the western side, with the northern portion largely overgrown and difficult to access. Two entrance gaps, each about 2 metres wide, break the enclosure; one at the southern end of the eastern side and another at the western end of the southern side. Along the southern edge, an external fosse or defensive ditch can still be traced, measuring 1.8 metres wide at its base, 5.9 metres in overall width, and cut to a depth of 1.15 metres below the surrounding ground level.
Moated sites like this one were typically constructed between the 13th and 14th centuries, often serving as fortified farmsteads for Anglo-Norman settlers or prosperous Irish families. The interior of the Sladagh site slopes gently downward towards the north, though vegetation now obscures much of the northern half. An earthen field boundary of more recent origin encloses the entire monument on all sides, preserving this glimpse into medieval settlement patterns within the modern agricultural landscape.





