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Carrowadoon is a raised rath and souterrain near Ballymoney in County Antrim. The monument consists of an artificially elevated earthwork typical of early Christian settlement sites in Ulster, accompanied by an underground stone-built passage—a souterrain—that extends beneath or adjacent to the main rath. This combination represents a substantial domestic and defensive structure from the early Christian period, roughly the 5th to 7th centuries. The rath would have served as a fortified farmstead, with the concealed souterrain providing secure storage for valuables and possibly refuge in times of threat.
The site sits on bedrock of mafic lava and tuff of Palaeogene age, ancient volcanic rocks that underlie much of the north Antrim landscape. This solid geological foundation would have made construction of the souterrain practical, allowing the builders to cut chambers into or through the natural substrate whilst containing them with drystone walls. The raised earthwork construction—banking soil and stone to form an elevated platform—represents considerable labour investment typical of high-status early Christian settlement.
Carrowadoon is protected by the Historic Environment Division of the Department for Communities under reference number 1584, recognising its significance as evidence of early Christian settlement patterns and building techniques in early medieval Ulster.
Carrowadoon. raised rath & souterrain is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 1584. View the official record →
Carrowadoon is a raised rath and souterrain near Ballymoney in County Antrim. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 1584.
Carrowadoon. raised rath & souterrain dates from the e.christ. period, and is classified as a rath & souterrain. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Carrowadoon. raised rath & souterrain 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 1584.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Killagan fort. raised rath (2.4 km), Kill old graveyard, kill graveyard. graveyard (2.9 km), Craigs upper, irish craigs. enclosure (4.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Carrowadoon. raised rath & souterrain'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.
Carrowadoon. raised rath & souterrain stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.