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Ballymena Ancient Field System is a complex of prehistoric monuments comprising a rath and two round cairns, situated on Palaeogene bedrock composed of mafic lava and tuff. The rath, an earthen ringfort typical of early medieval Ireland, sits within a broader landscape of Bronze Age ceremonial and domestic activity marked by the two round cairns nearby. This combination of monuments spanning several centuries reflects successive phases of settlement and land use on the same terrain.
The underlying geology of mafic volcanic rock has weathered to create soils suitable for pastoral farming, which likely sustained both the Bronze Age communities who erected the cairns and the later medieval inhabitants of the rath. The field system itself represents the organised division and management of this landscape for agricultural purposes, a practice that developed across northern Ireland during the Bronze Age and persisted through subsequent periods.
The monument is protected by the Historic Environment Division under reference 2625, recognising its significance as an archaeological resource that documents the long history of human activity and land organisation in the Ballymena area.
Ancient field system, including rath & 2 round cairns (c.f. 038 is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 2625. View the official record →
Ballymena Ancient Field System is a complex of prehistoric monuments comprising a rath and two round cairns, situated on Palaeogene bedrock composed of mafic lava and tuff. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 2625.
Ancient field system, including rath & 2 round cairns (c.f. 038 dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a cairn. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Ancient field system, including rath & 2 round cairns (c.f. 038 is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Ni. The official designation reference is 2625.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including See of dal riata, st. saviour's. monastery, church, cathedral, graveyard & cross (5 km), Souterrain with ogham stones (2) (5.1 km), Trench. revetted mound & boundary ditch (5.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Ancient field system, including rath & 2 round cairns (c.f. 038's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Ancient field system, including rath & 2 round cairns (c.f. 038 stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.