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Rath — a e.christ. rath is an early Christian earthwork located near Magherafelt in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The monument sits upon bedrock of the Tyrone Group, a complex sequence of Visean limestone, mudstone, sandstone and siltstone with subsidiary chert and coal deposits, geology which would have shaped the availability of building materials and the drainage characteristics of the site. Early Christian raths of this period typically functioned as defended homesteads or small communal settlements, their circular or near-circular ditches providing both practical defence and symbolic demarcation of important domestic or ecclesiastical space. The earthwork remains an important record of early medieval settlement patterns in Ulster during the transition from pagan to Christian society.
The monument is protected by the Historic Environment Division under reference 12958, recognising its archaeological and historical significance within the wider landscape of early Christian settlement in the region.
Rath is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 12958. View the official record →
Rath — a e.christ. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 12958.
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 12958.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Standing stone, possibly remains of megalithic tomb (1.1 km), Dergmore's grave. portal tomb (2.3 km), Giant's grave. wedge tomb (4.7 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 Tyrone Group, bedrock that formed in the Visean. The rock here is limestone, mudstone, sandstone and siltstone, with subordinate chert, coal and conglomerate.