© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Coen's Fort is a rath situated near Banbridge in County Down, Northern Ireland. A rath is an early Christian Irish ringfort, a defensive domestic settlement enclosed by one or more earthen or stone banks. Built on bedrock of felsic igneous rock formed during the Early Devonian period, the monument represents a settlement type characteristic of the early medieval period in Ireland, typically occupied between the fifth and twelfth centuries.
The fort's location on resistant igneous bedrock in the Banbridge area would have provided both a defensible site and stable ground for construction. Such raths typically enclosed a small farming settlement with circular or rectangular houses, sometimes including craft working areas. The surrounding banks served both to contain livestock and to defend the inhabitants and their property.
Coen's Fort is protected as a scheduled monument under reference 8415 by the Historic Environment Division of the Department for Communities, Northern Ireland. Its survival into the present day, despite centuries of agricultural use in the surrounding landscape, reflects the robust construction typical of these ringforts, which have proven among the most persistent archaeological features across the Irish countryside.
Coen's fort. rath is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 8415. View the official record →
Coen's Fort is a rath situated near Banbridge in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 8415.
Coen's fort. 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.
Coen's fort. 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 8415.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Big fort. rath & souterrain (0.9 km), Cashel & souterrain (1.1 km), Standing stone (1.6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Coen's fort. 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.
Coen's fort. rath stands on Unnamed Igneous Intrusion, Late Silurian To Early Devonian, bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is felsic-rock.