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Rath is a site of an early Christian church and graveyard located in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. The monument represents a type of settlement common throughout medieval Ireland, where ecclesiastical communities occupied fortified or semi-fortified enclosures known as raths. This particular site sits on bedrock of the Tyrone Group, a Visean formation of limestone, mudstone, sandstone and siltstone interspersed with chert, coal and conglomerate. The underlying geology would have influenced the choice of location and the construction methods employed by its early Christian inhabitants.
Early Christian raths typically served as monastic centres or local church sites, housing both religious and secular functions within their enclosed boundaries. The combination of church and graveyard indicates this was a focal point for Christian worship and burial across a significant period. Archaeological remains at such sites commonly include evidence of timber or stone structures, burials, and artefacts relating to religious practice and daily life.
The site is now protected by the Historic Environment Division of Northern Ireland under reference 10358, ensuring its preservation as an important record of Fermanagh's early Christian heritage. Though the physical structures no longer survive above ground, the rath and its associated ecclesiastical features remain significant for understanding the distribution and character of early medieval religious settlement in the region.
Rath, church (site of) & graveyard is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 10358. View the official record →
Rath is a site of an early Christian church and graveyard located in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 10358.
Rath, church (site of) & graveyard dates from the e.christ. period, and is classified as a ecclesiastical site. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Rath, church (site of) & graveyard 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 10358.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Rath (2.6 km), Counterscarp rath (3.2 km), Bivallate rath (4.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Rath, church (site of) & graveyard'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.
Rath, church (site of) & graveyard 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.