© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Counterscarp rath is an early Christian ringfort located in the Newry and Mourne district of Northern Ireland. The monument is protected by the Historic Environment Division under reference 8246. Ringforts of this type were fortified farmsteads common throughout Ireland from the Iron Age through the medieval period, with many occupied or reoccupied during the early Christian era between the fifth and twelfth centuries. They typically served as the residences and cattle enclosures of farming families of varying social status.
The site sits upon bedrock of the Gala Group, a wacke formation dating to the Telychian period of the Silurian epoch. This greywacke geology is typical of the Mourne region and would have provided a firm foundation for the earthen ramparts characteristic of ringfort construction. The local stone and soil conditions would have influenced both the initial building technique and the monument's subsequent preservation.
Counterscarp raths are distinguished by their outer defensive bank or counterscarp, an additional earthwork running parallel to the main rampart which enhanced the fort's defensive capacity. This feature reflects the security concerns of early Christian farming communities in a period of social and political transition. The monument represents the settlement patterns and land use of early medieval Ulster.
Counterscarp rath is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 8246. View the official record →
Counterscarp rath is an early Christian ringfort located in the Newry and Mourne district of Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 8246.
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 8246.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Templegowran. church (in ruins) & graveyard (8 km), Cashel (8.1 km), The long stone, long stone. standing stone (8.7 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 Gala Group, bedrock that formed in the Telychian. The rock here is wacke.