© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Lisbane is a rath and souterrain of early Christian date, situated in the Newry and Mourne district of County Down. The monument occupies land underlain by Hawick Group wacke, a hard sedimentary rock of Wenlock age that would have presented substantial challenges for the construction of both the earthwork and the underground chamber. The rath itself comprises a circular or oval enclosure defined by an earthen bank and ditch, a form typical of early medieval Irish domestic or pastoral settlements dating from the fifth to twelfth centuries.
The souterrain, an underground stone-lined passage or chamber, represents a distinctive feature of Iron Age and early medieval settlement in Ireland and Scotland. These subterranean structures served various purposes, from storage and refuge to ritual use, and their presence alongside a rath suggests sustained occupation and investment in the site's infrastructure. The geological substrate of wacke, though difficult to excavate, would have provided stable walls for such underground construction.
Lisbane is protected as a scheduled monument under Historic Environment Division reference 8719, recognising its archaeological significance as evidence of early Christian settlement patterns in this region. The combination of surface earthwork and buried features makes it an important example of the material culture of medieval Ireland.
Lisbane. rath & souterrain is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 8719. View the official record →
Lisbane is a rath and souterrain of early Christian date, situated in the Newry and Mourne district of County Down. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 8719.
Lisbane. rath & souterrain dates from the e.christ. period, and is classified as a rath & souterrain. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Lisbane. rath & souterrain 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 8719.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Large hilltop enclosure (5.6 km), Mound - possibly barrow (7 km), Stone faced rath - one of a pair with 051 (7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Lisbane. rath & souterrain'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.
Lisbane. rath & souterrain stands on Hawick Group, bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is wacke.