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The Rath at Coleraine is a defended settlement of early Christian date, protected as a scheduled monument by the Historic Environment Division. Raths were circular or oval earthen enclosures, typically surrounded by one or more banks and ditches, that served as the homesteads of the Irish and British aristocracy during the early medieval period. This example sits on bedrock composed of Palaeogene extrusive rocks—mafic lavas and tuffs formed during volcanic activity tens of millions of years before human settlement. The underlying geology reflects the dramatic geological history of the north Irish landscape.
Such enclosed farmsteads were common across Ulster during the early Christian centuries, functioning as both domestic and defensive centres for prominent families. The rath's form and scale would have reflected the status of its occupants within local society. Though the earthworks have been modified by agriculture and erosion over fourteen centuries, the monument retains considerable archaeological interest.
The site remains visible in the landscape at grid reference C8779015240 and is formally recognised for its heritage value. It contributes to understanding early medieval settlement patterns and social hierarchy in the Coleraine area, where such monuments form part of a wider archaeological record spanning from prehistoric times through the medieval period.
Rath is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 12063. View the official record →
The Rath at Coleraine is a defended settlement of early Christian date, protected as a scheduled monument by the Historic Environment Division. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 12063.
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 12063.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Black stone, daff, daff burial ground, duff stone, duff stone. passage tomb (1.7 km), Lissatinny. rath (4.1 km), Movanagher castle. plantation castle, bawn & village site (4.3 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.