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Platform rath is a small earthwork monument located near Dungannon in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Dating to the early Christian period, it consists of a raised platform typical of raths constructed during the centuries following the introduction of Christianity to Ireland. The monument sits on bedrock of the Tyrone Group, a Visean-age geological formation comprising limestone, mudstone, sandstone and siltstone interspersed with chert, coal and conglomerate. This mixed geology would have presented the original builders with variable ground conditions, yet proved suitable for the construction of this residential or defensive earthwork.
The platform rath belongs to a widespread class of early Christian settlement sites found throughout Ireland, often serving as the homestead of a small farming community or minor noble family. Such monuments typically feature one or more raised banks or platforms, which afforded both defensive advantage and improved drainage on the often-wet Irish landscape. The Dungannon example sits within the drumlin country of central Ulster, an area rich in archaeological remains.
The monument is protected as a scheduled historic monument by the Historic Environment Division under reference number 15727, reflecting its significance to the early medieval heritage of the region. It remains an important record of settlement patterns and land use during the early Christian centuries in Tyrone.
Platform rath is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 15727. View the official record →
Platform rath is a small earthwork monument located near Dungannon in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 15727.
Platform 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.
Platform 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 15727.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bivallate rath (3.8 km), Rath (4.2 km), Platform rath (4.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Platform 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.
Platform rath stands on Tyrone Group, bedrock that formed in the Visean. The rock here is limestone, mudstone, sandstone and siltstone, with subordinate chert, coal and conglomerate.