Scheduled Monuments›Northern Ireland›Omagh›Rath
E.CHRIST. · RATH

Rath

Omagh, Northern Ireland
NISMR MonID 15273
Period
E.CHRIST.
Site type
RATH
Nation
Northern Ireland
The designation
Reference
NISMR MonID 15273
Authority
DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Grid reference
H5402067770
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)

Overview

History & significance

Rath is an early Christian earthwork monument located near Omagh in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. The site comprises a circular or sub-circular enclosure defined by a bank and ditch, typical of the ringfort form that characterised early medieval Irish settlement. These fortified farmsteads served as secure domestic and agricultural centres, and their construction often exploited natural topography to maximise defensive capability. The rath at Omagh is built upon bedrock formed from the Shanmullagh Formation, a Famennian-age geological deposit consisting of sandstone, mudstone, siltstone and conglomerate. This mixed lithology would have provided both opportunities and constraints for the earthwork's construction and drainage. The monument is now protected by the Historic Environment Division under reference 15273, recognising its significance as evidence of early Christian-period settlement, land use and social organisation in the wider region of County Tyrone.

Rath is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 15273. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Rath?

Rath is an early Christian earthwork monument located near Omagh in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 15273.

What period does Rath date from?

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.

Who is responsible for protecting Rath?

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 15273.

What other scheduled monuments are near Rath?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Rath (2.3 km), Platform rath (2.7 km), Rectangular counterscarped earthwork (3.4 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Rath

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:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman World
Ireland was never conquered by Rome, so this traces the island's Iron Age kingdoms and its contact with the Roman world.
Historic Records
The 19th-century records of this place: valuations, Ordnance Survey memoirs and topographical accounts.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
First month just £4.99, then £9.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Rath report
Or see a real report first
Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Rath
E.CHRIST. · RATH2.3 km
Platform rath
E.CHRIST. · RATH2.7 km
Rectangular counterscarped earthwork
UNCERTAIN · ENCLOSURE3.4 km
Grania's grave. portal? tomb with cup-marked capstone
NEOLITHIC · MEGALITHIC TOMB3.7 km
Drumshanbo, caldragh. children's burial ground
UNCERTAIN · GRAVEYARD4.7 km
Rath
E.CHRIST. · RATH4.8 km
Cloghfin chambered grave. portal tomb
NEOLITHIC · MEGALITHIC TOMB5.8 km
Rath
E.CHRIST. · RATH6.1 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Rath

Rath stands on Shanmullagh Formation, bedrock that formed in the Famennian. The rock here is sandstone, mudstone, siltstone and conglomerate.

All Scheduled Monuments