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Cabragh fort is a counterscarp rath located near Lisburn in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. This early Christian earthwork comprises a circular or sub-circular enclosed settlement defined by an outer ditch with an internal bank, a design characteristic of raths constructed during the early medieval period. The counterscarp ditch—positioned outside the main rampart—provided additional defensive capability and drainage. Such fortified farmsteads were typical of the Irish countryside from the fifth through twelfth centuries, serving as domestic and agricultural centres for farming families and their livestock.
The monument sits on Gala Group wacke bedrock, a sedimentary formation from the Telychian period that underlies much of this region of County Antrim. This geology would have influenced settlement patterns and land use in antiquity, with the underlying stone shaping drainage and soil conditions.
Cabragh fort is protected as a scheduled monument by the Historic Environment Division under reference number 5473, recognising its archaeological significance and cultural heritage value. The site contributes to the wider archaeological landscape of early Christian settlement in the Lisburn area, preserving evidence of medieval rural life and territorial organisation in Ulster.
Cabragh fort. counterscarp rath is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 5473. View the official record →
Cabragh fort is a counterscarp rath located near Lisburn in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 5473.
Cabragh fort. counterscarp 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.
Cabragh fort. counterscarp 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 5473.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Rath (4.9 km), Platform rath (5.6 km), Rath (5.7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Cabragh fort. counterscarp 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.
Cabragh fort. counterscarp rath stands on Gala Group, bedrock that formed in the Telychian. The rock here is wacke.