Moated site, Grangecastle, Co. Tipperary

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Castle Features

Moated site, Grangecastle, Co. Tipperary

In the flat, poorly drained pastures of Grangecastle, County Tipperary South, an ancient moated site offers a glimpse into medieval Ireland's defensive landscape.

This oval earthwork stretches approximately 30 metres east to west and 50 metres north to south, enclosed by a substantial earth and stone bank that still stands prominently despite centuries of weathering. The bank itself varies in height, reaching up to 1.3 metres in places, with a base width of about 4 metres tapering to just under 2 metres at the top.

The site's most striking feature is its waterlogged outer fosse, or defensive ditch, which runs around the perimeter with a width ranging from 3.5 to 5 metres. While the inner bank remains well preserved along much of its circuit, particularly from the south through west and around to the northeast, time and agriculture have taken their toll on the eastern section. Modern gaps, likely created for farm access, pierce the bank at the northeast and southwest corners, measuring 2 metres and 1.5 metres wide respectively.

The location appears to have been strategically chosen, offering clear views across the surrounding countryside whilst maintaining proximity to other medieval structures. A tower house stands just 240 metres to the southeast, whilst another moated site lies 308 metres to the northwest, suggesting this area held considerable importance during the medieval period. These earthworks, compiled and documented by Jean Farrelly in August 2011, represent the kind of defensive homesteads that once dotted the Irish landscape, where local lords and their communities sought protection behind banks and water-filled ditches.

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