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Rath—a e.christ. rath—is an early Christian ringfort located near Magherafelt in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The monument sits upon bedrock of Palaeogene extrusive rocks, a foundation of ancient mafic lava and tuff that reflects the area's volcanic geology. The site is protected as a scheduled monument by the Historic Environment Division under reference number 13034.
Raths were circular or oval earthwork enclosures that served as fortified farmsteads and domestic centres during the early medieval period. This example, dating to the early Christian era, represents the continuation of Iron Age settlement patterns into the post-Roman period across Ireland. Such sites typically comprised one or more concentric banks and ditches surrounding a central settlement area.
The Magherafelt rath's location in the landscape of south Londonderry places it within a region that has yielded numerous early medieval monuments. The solid volcanic bedrock underlying the site would have provided good drainage and stability for the earthwork construction. This rath preserves evidence of how early Christian communities in Ulster organised their domestic and agricultural spaces during the first millennium AD.
Rath is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 13034. View the official record →
Rath—a e.christ. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 13034.
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 13034.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Aghagaskin fort. counterscarp rath (2.6 km), Multiperiod church & graveyard (early christian-modern) (3.3 km), Knockcloghrim windmill. windmill (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.