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Raised rath is a small early Christian rath located near Newtownabbey in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. This earthwork monument sits on bedrock composed of Palaeogene extrusive rocks—mafic lavas and tuffs laid down during volcanic activity millions of years ago. The raised platform of the rath, characteristic of the type, would have provided an elevated defensive position on this ancient volcanic geology, typical of the landscape around Belfast Lough.
Raths were the residences of Irish nobility and farming families from the Iron Age through the medieval period, and this example dates to the early Christian era, suggesting occupation between roughly the 5th and 10th centuries. The raised construction indicates careful adaptation to the local terrain and climate, with improved drainage properties essential in the often-boggy conditions of northern Ireland.
The monument is recorded in the Historic Environment Division's records under reference 3184 and is protected as a statutory monument. Despite intensive settlement and development in the surrounding area, this earthwork survives as evidence of early medieval settlement patterns in the townland, preserving a physical link to the region's pre-Norman aristocratic landholding and community structure.
Raised rath is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 3184. View the official record →
Raised rath is a small early Christian rath located near Newtownabbey in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 3184.
Raised 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.
Raised 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 3184.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Coveknows. barrow (3.5 km), Lisnalinchy, the fort of o'loingsech, silentia fort. multivallate rath and souterrain (4.9 km), Ring barrow (5.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Raised 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.
Raised rath stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.