E.CHRIST. · RATH

Rath

Fermanagh, Northern Ireland
NISMR MonID 10774
Period
E.CHRIST.
Site type
RATH
Nation
Northern Ireland
The designation
Reference
NISMR MonID 10774
Authority
DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Grid reference
H3927041030
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)

Overview

History & significance

Rath — a e.christ. rath is an early Christian enclosed settlement located in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. The monument occupies ground underlain by bedrock of the Leitrim Group, a sequence of Namurian sandstones, mudstones, siltstones and conglomerates that characterises much of the regional geology. The site sits within a landscape shaped by these durable rock formations, which would have influenced both settlement patterns and the availability of stone for construction in the early medieval period.

Early Christian raths of this type typically comprise a circular or oval enclosure formed by one or more banks and ditches, serving as a defended homestead or secular settlement. Such monuments are among the most numerous archaeological features in Ireland, dating broadly from the fifth to twelfth centuries. Their distribution across the Irish landscape reflects a fundamental settlement strategy adopted during the early Christian period, providing security and status to their inhabitants.

This monument is protected by the Historic Environment Division of the Department for Communities, and is recorded in the official register under reference number 10774. Its preservation as a scheduled monument recognises its importance as evidence of early medieval settlement patterns and daily life in Fermanagh during the early Christian era.

Rath is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 10774. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Rath?

Rath — a e.christ. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 10774.

What period does Rath date from?

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.

Who is responsible for protecting Rath?

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 10774.

What other scheduled monuments are near Rath?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Rath, church (site of) & graveyard (2.6 km), Bivallate rath (4.1 km), Counterscarp rath (5.4 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Rath

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Rath's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman World
Ireland was never conquered by Rome, so this traces the island's Iron Age kingdoms and its contact with the Roman world.
Historic Records
The 19th-century records of this place: valuations, Ordnance Survey memoirs and topographical accounts.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Rath

Rath stands on Leitrim Group, bedrock that formed in the Namurian. The rock here is sandstone, mudstone, siltstone and conglomerate.