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Rath & Possible House is an early Christian rath situated in the Newry and Mourne district of County Down, Northern Ireland. The monument lies upon bedrock of the Gala Group, a wacke formation dating to the Telychian period, which provides a foundation of hard, compact sedimentary rock typical of this region's geological character. Early Christian raths of this type were generally constructed between the fifth and tenth centuries and served as fortified homesteads for farming families of higher social status within the early medieval Irish landscape.
The rath comprises an earthwork enclosure, with the possible remains of a house structure identified within its bounds. Such domestic enclosures were defended by banks and ditches arranged in circular or oval patterns, creating a modest but defensible residential space. The combination of rath and house remains suggests occupation by a single family unit of some standing in the local community during the early Christian period.
The site is protected as a scheduled monument by the Historic Environment Division under reference 5858, recognising its significance as evidence of early medieval settlement patterns and domestic life in Ulster. The survival of both the earthwork enclosure and structural remains offers potential for understanding the material conditions and social organisation of early Christian rural communities in this part of Northern Ireland.
Rath & possible house is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 5858. View the official record →
Rath & Possible House is an early Christian rath situated in the Newry and Mourne district of County Down, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 5858.
Rath & possible house 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 & possible house 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 5858.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Megalithic tomb - court tomb? (2.8 km), Lissaraw fort. bivallate rath & possible souterrain (3.4 km), Cross-carved stone (3.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Rath & possible house'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 & possible house stands on Gala Group, bedrock that formed in the Telychian. The rock here is wacke.