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Ballymena Ancient Field System is a prehistoric monument comprising a rath and two round cairns, situated on bedrock of Palaeogene age formed from mafic lava and mafic tuff. The rath, a circular or oval defended farmstead typical of Iron Age settlement in Ireland, occupies the site alongside funerary monuments in the form of stone cairns. These cairns, constructed by piling stone over burials or cremations, represent a practice extending back to the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods. The underlying volcanic geology of the site, characteristic of the Palaeogene extrusive rocks found across parts of Northern Ireland, provides a naturally stony landscape that would have furnished material for cairn construction.
The field system associated with these monuments indicates sustained agricultural use of the location across multiple periods of prehistory. The clustering of domestic and ceremonial structures suggests a settlement focus that persisted through successive generations, with the rath representing a later phase of Iron Age occupation overlaid upon earlier burial traditions. The monument is recorded under Historic Environment Division reference 2626 and remains protected as a significant record of rural settlement and land use in prehistoric Ballymena.
Ancient field system, including rath & 2 round cairns (c.f. 038 is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 2626. View the official record →
Ballymena Ancient Field System is a prehistoric monument comprising a rath and two round cairns, situated on bedrock of Palaeogene age formed from mafic lava and mafic tuff. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 2626.
Ancient field system, including rath & 2 round cairns (c.f. 038 dates from the uncertain period, and is classified as a mound. 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 2626.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including See of dal riata, st. saviour's. monastery, church, cathedral, graveyard & cross (5 km), Trench. revetted mound & boundary ditch (5 km), Souterrain with ogham stones (2) (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.