© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Rath — a e.christ. is an early Christian rath located near Coleraine in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The monument sits upon bedrock composed of Palaeogene extrusive rocks, a foundation of ancient mafic lava and tuff dating back some 56 to 66 million years. This volcanic geology is characteristic of the basaltic plateau that underlies much of the north-east of Ireland, formed during the dramatic crustal extension that created the North Atlantic.
Raths were defensive homesteads comprising one or more circular ditched enclosures, typically occupied by families of rank during the early medieval period. The dating of this rath to the early Christian period, roughly the fifth to eighth centuries, suggests it served as the residence of a person of some status, possibly a minor noble or prosperous farmer, during the transition from pagan to Christian Ireland. The monument's survival reflects the durability of earthwork construction across more than a millennium and a half.
The rath is protected as a scheduled monument under the Historic Environment Division of the Department for Communities, Northern Ireland, under reference 12072, ensuring its preservation for future study and public heritage value.
Rath is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 12072. View the official record →
Rath — a e.christ. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 12072.
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 12072.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Lissatinny. rath (3.2 km), St. adamnan's footprints, giant's track, shane's leap. inauguration stone (4.3 km), Rough fort. earthwork (4.4 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.