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Lisleitrim Fort is a multivallate rath with an associated souterrain, dating to the early Christian period. The monument sits within the Newry and Mourne district of Northern Ireland, where wacke bedrock of the Gala Group underlies the landscape. This stone-rich geology would have provided suitable material for the fort's construction and the engineering of its underground chamber.
The fort comprises multiple defensive earthwork banks surrounding a central enclosure, a characteristic feature of raths from the fifth to eighth centuries. The souterrain—an underground passage or chamber—would have served storage, refuge, or ritual functions typical of early Christian settlement complexes in Ireland. Such structures are frequently encountered together, reflecting the interconnected domestic and defensive strategies of their period.
The site is recorded under Historic Environment Division reference 5999 and remains protected under current legislation safeguarding Northern Ireland's archaeological heritage. Lisleitrim contributes to the broader landscape of early Christian settlement in the region, preserving physical evidence of a significant phase in Irish history when such fortified farmsteads formed the basis of secular and ecclesiastical power structures.
Lisleitrim fort. multivallate rath & souterrain is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 5999. View the official record →
Lisleitrim Fort is a multivallate rath with an associated souterrain, dating to the early Christian period. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 5999.
Lisleitrim fort. multivallate 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.
Lisleitrim fort. multivallate 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 5999.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Lisleitrim lough. crannog in lisleitrim lough (0.6 km), Harry mount. round cairn (2.7 km), Standing stone (2.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Lisleitrim fort. multivallate 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.
Lisleitrim fort. multivallate rath & souterrain stands on Gala Group, bedrock that formed in the Telychian. The rock here is wacke.