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St. Colman del Mourne is a medieval ecclesiastical site at Kilkeel in the parish of Mourne, County Down, comprising a circular earthwork rath that was reused as the setting for a church and graveyard in the early Christian period. The site represents a characteristic example of ecclesiastical reuse of pre-Christian ringforts, a common practice in early medieval Ireland whereby pagan ritual enclosures were adapted to serve Christian worship and burial functions. The graveyard remains in use and preserves evidence of the site's long continuity of sacred use from the early Christian period onwards. The dedication to Saint Colman connects the site to broader patterns of monastic foundation and hagiographic tradition in the Irish ecclesiastical landscape.
Kilkeel, st. colman del mourne. rath, reused as medieval church & graveyard is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 9108. View the official record →
St. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 9108.
Kilkeel, st. colman del mourne. rath, reused as medieval church & graveyard dates from the e.christ. period, and is classified as a ecclesiastical site. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Kilkeel, st. colman del mourne. rath, reused as medieval church & graveyard 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 9108.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including The crawtree stone. portal tomb (0.3 km), Dunnaval. counterscarp rath (2.7 km), Giant's grave. court tomb (2.9 km).
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Research the area around Kilkeel, st. colman del mourne. rath, reused as medieval church & graveyard