Moated site, Warrenstown, Co. Kilkenny
On the flood plain of the River Goul in Warrenstown, County Kilkenny, lies the remains of an intriguing double enclosure that tells a story of centuries of human activity.
Moated site, Warrenstown, Co. Kilkenny
The easternmost of the two conjoined rectangular enclosures measures approximately 47 metres from north-northwest to south-southeast and varies in width from 49 metres at its northern end to 33 metres at its southern extremity. Together with its western companion, these earthworks share a dividing fosse, creating what archaeologist Barry described as a double platform site covering over 4,600 square metres in total.
The site’s relationship with the River Goul has changed dramatically over time. Originally, the river flowed roughly north to south about 100 metres to the west of the monument, but sometime between 1839 and 1900, a new channel was dug that brought the water course to within just 10 metres of the enclosures. The original dry moat, measuring 2.6 metres wide and 1.5 metres deep, would have provided both drainage and defence for whatever structures once stood here.
Historical maps from 1839 show three buildings within the western enclosure; two oriented east to west and one running north to south, likely dating from the 18th or 19th centuries. Traces of their dry stone walls were still visible as late as the 1970s, along with remnants of both exterior and interior banks. Unfortunately, by 1987, agricultural activity had taken its toll; the site had been recently levelled, leaving only a slightly elevated stony platform rising just 20 to 30 millimetres above the surrounding drained land, with cattle erosion having destroyed much of the original earthwork features.