© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Rath — a e.christ. rath is an early Christian defensive enclosure located near Cookstown in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. The site sits on bedrock of the Leadhills Supergroup, a wacke formation dating to the Ashgill period, which would have provided a firm foundation for the construction and maintenance of the earthwork. Raths of this type typically date from the early Christian period and served as fortified homesteads for farming families or minor lords, their banks and ditches offering protection for livestock and inhabitants.
The monument is a substantial earthwork comprising a banked and ditched enclosure, characteristic of early Christian settlement sites in Ulster. Such structures were often reused or maintained over considerable periods, sometimes accumulating archaeological deposits that reflect centuries of occupation and activity. The location near Cookstown places it within a landscape rich in early medieval settlement evidence, part of the wider pattern of fortified settlements distributed across Northern Ireland during the centuries following the advent of Christianity.
The site is protected as a scheduled monument by the Historic Environment Division of the Department for Communities, registered under reference 14997. This protection recognises the archaeological significance of the rath and ensures its preservation for future research and public appreciation of early Christian settlement patterns in the region.
Rath is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 14997. View the official record →
Rath — a e.christ. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 14997.
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 14997.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Moymore stone circles. nine stone circles & two alignments (0.8 km), Barrow (1.8 km), Round cairn (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 Leadhills Supergroup, bedrock that formed in the Ashgill. The rock here is wacke.