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St Patrick's Footmark, Schirich is an early Christian ecclesiastical site comprising a church and graveyard located near Ballymena in County Antrim. The monument sits upon Palaeogene extrusive rocks, mafic lavas and tuffs that form the underlying bedrock of this part of Mid-Ulster, giving the landscape its distinctive geological character shaped by ancient volcanic activity.
The site represents an important focus of early Christian worship and burial in the region, likely established during the early medieval period when monastic and parish churches formed the spiritual centres of Irish Christian communities. The survival of both church structures and associated burial ground demonstrates the continuity of sacred use at this location across centuries.
The monument is protected by the Historic Environment Division of the Department for Communities under reference 2251, ensuring the preservation of this significant ecclesiastical heritage. St Patrick's Footmark remains an important archaeological and cultural resource for understanding the development of Christianity and settlement patterns in medieval Ulster.
Schirich, st. patrick's footmark, st. patrick's footmark. church and graveyard is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 2251. View the official record →
St Patrick's Footmark, Schirich is an early Christian ecclesiastical site comprising a church and graveyard located near Ballymena in County Antrim. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 2251.
Schirich, st. patrick's footmark, st. patrick's footmark. church and graveyard dates from the e.christ. period, and is classified as a ecclesiastical site. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Schirich, st. patrick's footmark, st. patrick's footmark. church and graveyard 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 2251.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including The swine craes. raised rath, enclosure & ancient fields (3.9 km), Standing stone (4.7 km), Ring cairn (4.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Schirich, st. patrick's footmark, st. patrick's footmark. church and graveyard'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.
Schirich, st. patrick's footmark, st. patrick's footmark. church and graveyard stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.