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Dunnaval is a counterscarp rath located near Newry and Mourne in County Down, Northern Ireland. Dating to the early Christian period, this earthwork represents a distinctive form of defended settlement characteristic of the early medieval landscape of Ulster. The monument is protected by the Historic Environment Division under reference 9117.
The rath's defensive design incorporates an internal bank with an external ditch—the defining feature of a counterscarp structure—which would have provided substantial protection for the enclosed settlement within. Built upon the Hawick Group wacke bedrock that underlies this region, the earthwork's construction would have required considerable effort to dig through the underlying geology, evidencing the importance of the settlement it protected.
Raths of this period typically functioned as the residences of local élites and served as centres of pastoral farming activity. The counterscarp design, with its outward-facing ditch, was particularly effective at defending against livestock raiding and small-scale hostilities, making it a practical choice for early Christian communities. Dunnaval remains an important survival of this settlement type in the Newry and Mourne district.
Dunnaval. counterscarp rath is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 9117. View the official record →
Dunnaval is a counterscarp rath located near Newry and Mourne in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 9117.
Dunnaval. 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.
Dunnaval. 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 9117.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Kilkeel, st. colman del mourne. rath, reused as medieval church & graveyard (2.7 km), Mound (2.8 km), The crawtree stone. portal tomb (3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Dunnaval. 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.
Dunnaval. counterscarp rath stands on Hawick Group, bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is wacke.