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Lissaraw fort is a bivallate rath situated in the Newry and Mourne district of County Down. The monument consists of two concentric earthen banks surrounding a central enclosure, a characteristic defensive arrangement of early medieval Irish ringforts. The site is constructed upon bedrock of the Gala Group, wacke formed during the Telychian period, which would have provided a naturally stable foundation for the earthwork construction.
A possible souterrain is associated with this fort, suggesting a more complex settlement pattern typical of substantial early Christian establishments. Souterrains, or underground passage systems, often functioned as storage facilities or refuge chambers within ringfort complexes. The presence of this feature indicates the fort may have housed a family of significant status or perhaps monastic activity during the early medieval period.
The fort is protected by the Historic Environment Division of Northern Ireland under reference 5929, ensuring preservation of this important archaeological site. The monument's dual defences and potential underground structures make Lissaraw fort a valuable example of early Christian settlement archaeology in the northern Irish landscape.
Lissaraw fort. bivallate rath & possible souterrain is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 5929. View the official record →
Lissaraw fort is a bivallate rath situated in the Newry and Mourne district of County Down. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 5929.
Lissaraw fort. bivallate rath & possible 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.
Lissaraw fort. bivallate rath & possible 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 5929.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Cross-carved stone (1.1 km), Drumilly fort. rath (1.2 km), The long stones. cashel and portal tomb (2.7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Lissaraw fort. bivallate rath & possible 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.
Lissaraw fort. bivallate rath & possible souterrain stands on Gala Group, bedrock that formed in the Telychian. The rock here is wacke.