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Rath — a e.christ. rath is an early Christian ringfort situated near Coleraine in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The monument occupies land underlain by Palaeogene extrusive rocks—mafic lavas and tuffs formed during intense volcanic activity millions of years before human settlement. This distinctive geological foundation of ancient igneous material gives the locality unique physical properties that would have been evident to those who chose to construct their defensive enclosure here during the early medieval period.
The rath consists of a circular or oval earthwork typically comprising one or more concentric banks and ditches, a settlement form widespread across Ireland from the Iron Age through the early Christian centuries. Such fortified homesteads served as the residences of farming families and minor nobility, their defensive character reflecting the competitive, organised societies of early medieval Ireland. The protective banks would have enclosed domestic buildings and animal enclosures, creating a secure farmstead.
The monument is protected under the Historic Environment Division's record number 11372, recognising its significance as evidence of early Christian period settlement patterns and social organisation in the region. The earthwork remains visible in the landscape today, contributing to understanding of how communities organised their domestic and defensive space in post-Roman Ireland, adapting enduring settlement practices to their local terrain.
Rath is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 11372. View the official record →
Rath — a e.christ. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 11372.
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.
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 11372.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Duncethirn, lungern, sconce hill, giant's sconce, dunceithirn. rock fortification (4.3 km), Rath (6.9 km), Piper's hill. long mound (7 km).
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:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Rath stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.