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Rath is an early Christian ringfort situated in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Ringforts of this period typically served as fortified homesteads, combining domestic and defensive functions within a circular earthwork. The monument sits on bedrock comprising Palaeogene extrusive rocks—mafic lava and tuff—which would have influenced both the ease of construction and the visual prominence of the earthwork within the local landscape.
Early Christian raths like this one represent an important settlement type in early medieval Ireland, occupied during a period of significant cultural and religious transformation. They often functioned as family strongholds and served to demarcate territorial boundaries within the wider landscape. The geological foundation of Palaeogene volcanic rock is characteristic of the Antrim plateau geology, which shaped settlement patterns and resource availability in this region.
The monument is protected by the Historic Environment Division of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency under reference 4066, recognising its archaeological and historical significance. The site's location on the volcanic bedrock that underlies much of County Antrim provides important evidence for understanding settlement distribution, economic activity and land use during the early Christian period in Ulster.
Rath is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 4066. View the official record →
Rath is an early Christian ringfort situated in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 4066.
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 4066.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including The bohill stone, bochell stone, bowhill stone. round cairn & standing stone (4.8 km), Tullyrusk fort. raised rath & plantation fort (5.2 km), Counterscarp platform rath (5.9 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.