© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Ballintine rath is a small Early Christian ringfort located in Lisburn, County Antrim. The monument sits on bedrock of the Leadhills Supergroup, a wacke formation dating to the Ashgill period, which would have provided a solid foundation for the substantial earthwork defences typical of raths of this period. The site stands at grid reference J266206 and is protected as a scheduled monument by the Historic Environment Division under reference 6683.
Raths were the fortified homesteads of the Irish aristocracy and wealthy farmers during the Early Christian period, roughly from the 5th to 12th centuries. Ballintine exemplifies this tradition, comprising a circular or sub-circular enclosure defined by one or more substantial earth or stone banks, originally serving both defensive and symbolic purposes. The ringfort would have enclosed domestic buildings and livestock within its protective rampart.
The geology underlying Ballintine reflects the complex Precambrian and Cambrian rock sequences that characterise the Lisburn area. Such naturally stable ground conditions were advantageous for constructing durable raths, which often remained substantial earthworks for centuries after their occupation ceased. The monument survives as evidence of Early Christian settlement patterns and the social hierarchy of early medieval Ulster.
Ballintine rath. rath is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 6683. View the official record →
Ballintine rath is a small Early Christian ringfort located in Lisburn, County Antrim. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 6683.
Ballintine rath. rath dates from the e.christ. period, and is classified as a rath. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Ballintine rath. rath 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 6683.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Todd's grove. bivallate rath (1.8 km), Cabragh fort. counterscarp rath (4.4 km), Spirehill. rath (5.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Ballintine rath. rath'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.
Ballintine rath. rath stands on Leadhills Supergroup, bedrock that formed in the Ashgill. The rock here is wacke.