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Counterscarp Platform Rath is a early medieval hillfort located in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. This class of fortification, known as a rath, represents a common form of defended settlement built between the fifth and twelfth centuries across Ireland. The monument is defined by its distinctive counterscarp platform—an external bank constructed beyond the main defensive ditch, which would have presented an additional obstacle to attackers approaching the enclosure.
The site rests upon the Lough Neagh Clays Group, a geological formation laid down during the Oligocene epoch and comprising clay and lignite deposits. This heavy clay subsoil would have presented practical challenges and opportunities for the original builders: the clay provided stable ground for construction but required significant labour to excavate ditches for defensive purposes. The resulting clay spoil would have been used to construct the substantial earthen banks characteristic of such sites.
The monument is designated for protection by the Historic Environment Division under reference 3987, reflecting its archaeological and historical significance as evidence of early medieval settlement patterns and land use in the region. Such raths typically served as farmsteads or small fortified settlements, providing both domestic space and defence for their inhabitants during the early medieval period.
Counterscarp platform rath is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 3987. View the official record →
Counterscarp Platform Rath is a early medieval hillfort located in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 3987.
Counterscarp platform 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.
Counterscarp platform 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 3987.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Rath group - univallate rath, counterscarp rath & trivallate rath (5.7 km), Mound - motte? (5.7 km), Counterscarp rath (6.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Counterscarp platform 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.
Counterscarp platform rath stands on Lough Neagh Clays Group, bedrock that formed in the Oligocene. The rock here is clay and lignite.