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Rath re-used as tree ring is an early Christian rath situated near Dungannon in County Tyrone. The monument occupies ground underlain by Visean bedrock of the Tyrone Group, a mixed sequence of limestone, mudstone, sandstone and siltstone with subordinate chert, coal and conglomerate, typical of the Ulster coalfield geology in this region. The rath itself represents a circular or oval earthwork, a form characteristic of early Christian settlement in Ireland, likely dating from the 5th to 8th centuries.
The unusual designation "re-used as tree ring" indicates that the rath's defensive bank or ditch has been subsequently employed or modified as a boundary feature, possibly relating to land division or management in a later period. This pattern of reusing prehistoric and early Christian earthworks was common in the Irish landscape, where such substantial banks and ditches offered practical structures for later communities.
The site is protected by the Historic Environment Division (reference 15728), reflecting its significance as an archaeological monument. The Dungannon area contains numerous such early Christian sites embedded within a landscape shaped by intensive occupation from the early medieval period onwards, making this rath one of many surviving examples of early Christian settlement patterns in south Tyrone.
Rath re-used as tree ring is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 15728. View the official record →
Rath re-used as tree ring is an early Christian rath situated near Dungannon in County Tyrone. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 15728.
Rath re-used as tree ring 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 re-used as tree ring 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 15728.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bivallate rath (3.9 km), Rath (4.4 km), Platform rath (4.4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Rath re-used as tree ring'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 re-used as tree ring stands on Tyrone Group, bedrock that formed in the Visean. The rock here is limestone, mudstone, sandstone and siltstone, with subordinate chert, coal and conglomerate.