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Counterscarp rath is a early Christian rath situated near Coleraine in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The monument occupies land underlain by Palaeogene extrusive rocks, a foundation of ancient mafic lavas and tuffs that form part of the distinctive volcanic geology of this region. This geological substrate provided the raw material landscape within which early medieval communities established their settlements.
The rath is a ringfort, a characteristic settlement form of early Christian Ireland, typically comprising a circular or oval enclosure defined by one or more banks and ditches. Such monuments served as domestic and sometimes defensive spaces for farming communities between approximately the fifth and twelfth centuries. The "counterscarp" designation indicates the presence of an outer bank or ditch feature, a refinement seen on some of the more substantial examples.
The site is protected under the Historic Environment Division's statutory designation (reference 11775), recognising its significance as evidence of early medieval settlement patterns and land use in Ulster. Despite extensive archaeological investigation of raths across Ireland, individual examples like Counterscarp continue to provide insights into the spatial organisation and duration of occupation in this period, contributing to understanding of how early Christian communities organised their domestic and pastoral lives in the north of the island.
Counterscarp rath is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 11775. View the official record →
Counterscarp rath is a early Christian rath situated near Coleraine in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 11775.
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.
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 11775.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Sweat house (1.9 km), Piper's hill. long mound (2.7 km), Macosquin, merchant taylors' buildings. plantation village site with mill, house & bawn (3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of 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.
Counterscarp rath stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.