© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Ballymoney rath is a raised earthwork settlement of early Christian date, situated in County Antrim on volcanic bedrock of Palaeogene age. The monument comprises a rath, or fortified farmstead, together with an annexed enclosure. Such structures were characteristic of the early medieval period in Ireland, typically serving as the defended residences of minor nobility or prosperous farmers. The underlying geology of mafic lavas and tuffs, formed during the Palaeogene, would have shaped both the landscape and the practical constraints of construction at this location.
The rath's raised form represents the accumulated occupation debris and deliberate building up of the interior, a common feature of these settlements. The annexe suggests agricultural or domestic purposes beyond the main defended space, indicating a working settlement rather than purely military installation. The elevated platform would have provided defensive advantage whilst the surrounding ditches, typical of raths, served both practical and symbolic functions.
The site is protected as a monument of archaeological importance under the Historic Environment Division's records. Ballymoney rath contributes to understanding early Christian settlement patterns in northern Ireland, demonstrating how communities adapted to local topography and geology when establishing their defended homesteads during the early medieval period.
Raised rath & annexe is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 1631. View the official record →
Ballymoney rath is a raised earthwork settlement of early Christian date, situated in County Antrim on volcanic bedrock of Palaeogene age. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 1631.
Raised rath & annexe 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.
Raised rath & annexe 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 1631.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Raised rath (1.1 km), Souterrain (1.2 km), Kill old graveyard, kill graveyard. graveyard (1.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Raised rath & annexe'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.
Raised rath & annexe stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.