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Rath — a e.christ. rath is an early Christian ringfort located near Omagh in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. The monument sits upon bedrock of the Shanmullagh Formation, a sequence of sandstone, mudstone, siltstone and conglomerate deposits laid down during the Famennian period of the Carboniferous era. This underlying geology would have influenced both the construction and drainage characteristics of the earthwork.
Ringforts of this type were fortified farmsteads characteristic of early medieval Ireland, typically comprising a circular or oval bank and ditch enclosure. They served as the residences and working centres of farming families, from modest freeholders to minor nobility. The early Christian period designation suggests this example dates from approximately the fifth to eighth centuries, a time when Christianity was establishing itself alongside traditional Irish settlement patterns.
The monument is protected by the Historic Environment Division of the Department for Communities under reference number 15147, ensuring its preservation for future study and public appreciation. Its survival provides evidence of the landscape's occupation and use during the early Christian period in this region of Ulster.
Rath is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 15147. View the official record →
Rath — a e.christ. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 15147.
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 15147.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Rath (3.7 km), Rath (3.8 km), Bivallate rath (5.4 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 Shanmullagh Formation, bedrock that formed in the Famennian. The rock here is sandstone, mudstone, siltstone and conglomerate.