What is recorded here

The Moat is a castle in County Meath where a flat-topped earthen mound still carries the ghost of a stone wall. Its crescent bailey clings to the base like a shadow, while a hidden passage pierces the mound itself, hinting that the castle may have been born from an older rath. Killiagh church watches from nearby, but the mound keeps its own counsel, remembering hands that shaped soil long before records learned its name.

Situated on a rise in an undulating landscape. The motte is a subcircular flat-topped earthen mound (dims of top 16m E-W; 14m N-S; H 6m) with the remains of a stone wall on the perimeter. It is grass-covered but planted with mature trees and is defined by a fosse that survives against the bailey (at SW: Wth of top 5.23m; D 1.2m) SW-NW. The bailey is crescent or D-shaped attached to the motte SW-NE, and it is defined by earthen banks with an outer fosse (at S: Wth of top 4.5m; int. D 3m; ext. D 0.8m). The Man-made underground passage (ME008-032001-) is at base of the motte, and has an opening at S. Its presence suggests that the motte may have been adapted from a rath. The parish church of Killiagh (ME008-035----) is c. 430m to the NE. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Meath' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1987). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of revision: 7 June 2016

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