© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
# Rath at Coleraine
This is an early Christian rath, a circular earthwork enclosed by one or more banks and ditches, located in the townland of Coleraine in County Londonderry. The monument occupies land underlain by Palaeogene extrusive rocks—mafic lava and tuff deposits that formed during intense volcanic activity in the early Tertiary period. These ancient volcanic foundations have profoundly shaped the local landscape and soil character, influencing the settlement patterns of early Christian communities in the region.
Raths served as the defended homesteads of Irish aristocratic families and were widely constructed during the early Christian period, typically accommodating domestic and agricultural functions within their earthwork fortifications. The Coleraine example represents an important survival of this characteristic settlement type within its local archaeological context, preserving evidence of early medieval social organisation and land use.
The site is protected as a listed monument under the Historic Environment Division of the Department for Communities, Northern Ireland, under reference number 12358. This statutory designation recognises its significance as a surviving example of early Christian settlement archaeology and ensures its preservation for future study and understanding of the region's early medieval heritage.
Rath is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 12358. View the official record →
# Rath at Coleraine This is an early Christian rath, a circular earthwork enclosed by one or more banks and ditches, located in the townland of Coleraine in County Londonderry. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 12358.
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 12358.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Rath (0.1 km), Lismore. rath (0.8 km), Dwarf's grave, slaght averty. cairn (1.2 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.