© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Rath is an early Christian ringfort situated near Banbridge in County Down, Northern Ireland. The monument lies on bedrock of the Gala Group, a formation of wacke dating to the Telychian period, which would have influenced both its construction and long-term stability. Protected by the Historic Environment Division under reference number 7407, the site represents an important example of early medieval domestic settlement in the region.
Ringforts such as this typically date from the early Christian period and consist of a circular or near-circular enclosure defined by banks and ditches. These monuments served as defended homesteads for farming families of status and wealth, their defensive character reflecting the volatile social conditions of early medieval Ireland. The wacke bedrock at Banbridge would have provided suitable stone for the rath's construction and the surrounding landscape would have supported pastoral agriculture.
The survival of this monument at Banbridge contributes to our understanding of settlement patterns and land use during the early Christian period in Ulster. Such ringforts cluster across the Irish landscape, and their distribution reveals networks of established communities. The site's legal protection ensures its preservation for future archaeological investigation and heritage study.
Rath is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 7407. View the official record →
Rath is an early Christian ringfort situated near Banbridge in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 7407.
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 7407.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Cup-&-ring-marked standing stone (3.8 km), Carnew fort. rectangular enclosure (5.1 km), Rath - one of a rath pair with 027 (6.2 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 Gala Group, bedrock that formed in the Telychian. The rock here is wacke.