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Rath is an uncertain rath located in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, within the Moyle area. The monument stands upon bedrock of the Southern Highland Group, a sequence of psammite and pelite deposits laid down during the Middle Cambrian period. This ancient metamorphic geology, exposed across much of the north Antrim plateau, would have presented a challenging landscape for settlement in the medieval period when raths were typically constructed. The site is protected as a scheduled monument under Historic Environment Division reference 1245.
The structure's classification as uncertain reflects the difficulty in clearly identifying diagnostic features characteristic of established rath construction. Raths were typically enclosed homesteads, usually circular in plan and defended by earthwork ramparts, which functioned as high-status residences and working farms throughout medieval Ireland. The Moyle location places this site within an upland terrain where such defended settlements served important strategic and economic purposes.
The precise morphology and defensive character of this particular rath remain difficult to determine from surface evidence alone. The rocky substrate of the Southern Highland Group would have required careful siting and construction techniques to establish effective earthwork defences. The monument's protected status acknowledges its historical significance to the settlement pattern of medieval north Antrim, despite current uncertainties about its original form and function.
Rath is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 1245. View the official record →
Rath is an uncertain rath located in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, within the Moyle area. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 1245.
Rath dates from the uncertain 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 1245.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Barrow (0.8 km), Mound, possibly barrow (0.8 km), Old castle. house (1.5 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 Southern Highland Group, bedrock that formed in the Middle Cambrian. The rock here is psammite and pelite.