Moated site

The National Monuments Service's description

On level ground in gently undulating terrain, under grass. View impeded to E and W by rising ground, elsewhere fair to good, though impeded by hedgerow and by forestry to S. The northern section of a meandering stream, visible on the 1st (1839) ed. OS 6-inch map, and which was immediately N of the monument, was subsequently straightened. The former medieval parish church of Tullaghanbrogue (KK023-030001-) (Carrigan 1905, vol. 3, 385-6), is located c. 240m to the W and there are numerous earthworks (KK023-031001-) in the immediate vicinity, including a motte (KK023-032----) c. 25m to the SW and a large enclosure (KK023-031005-) immediately to the E. Orpen (1909, 333) associates the motte with the manor of Tullaghanbrogue, and states that, ‘William de St. Leger also held the manor of Tullaghanbrogue, with which the St. Legers were connected up to Cromwellian times’. He goes on to say that to ‘the north-east of the mote [bretage], in the same field, the foundations of buildings are still traceable’ (ibid.).
A rectangular raised area (diam. at top 22m NW-SE; 10.7m NE-SW; basal dims. 25.6m NW-SE; 15m NE-SW; H 0.47m) with rounded angles, enclosed by a fosse (Wth 1.95m). The external edge of the fosse is defined by the scarp of neighbouring earthworks and, in the NW and NE sector, by an outer bank (int. H 0.4m; ext. H 0.57m; Wth at top 1.55m; basal Wth 4.8m) which runs into and becomes the bank of a large enclosure to the E. There is a possible causeway across the fosse at the S angle (Wth 2.8m; H 0.27m).

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 21 March 2017

References

Carrigan, Rev. W. 1905 (Reprint 1981) The history and antiquities of the diocese of Ossory, 4 vols. Kilkenny. Roberts Books and Wellbrook Press.

Orpen, G.H. 1909 Motes and Norman castles in Ossory. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 39, 313-42.