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Stone faced rath is an early Christian fortified farmstead located in the townland of Newry and Mourne in County Down. The monument consists of an earthen ringwork faced with stone, a common defensive structure of the early medieval period across Ireland. This example forms one of a pair with a neighbouring rath, suggesting a close social or familial connection between the two settlements during the early Christian centuries.
The site sits on bedrock of the Hawick Group, a Wenlock-period wacke formation that would have presented both challenges and opportunities to early medieval builders. The underlying stone geology influenced the construction technique, with stone facing used to reinforce and stabilise the earthen rampart. This combination of stone and earth reflects practical adaptation to local geological conditions, a hallmark of raths built in areas where suitable stone outcrops were available.
Stone faced rath is designated as a monument of archaeological importance and is protected by the Historic Environment Division under reference 8872. Such ringworks typically enclosed residential and agricultural space, serving both defensive and status functions within early Christian Irish society. The survival of two raths in close proximity provides valuable evidence for patterns of settlement and land use in early medieval Ulster.
Stone faced rath - one of a pair with 051 is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 8872. View the official record →
Stone faced rath is an early Christian fortified farmstead located in the townland of Newry and Mourne in County Down. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 8872.
Stone faced rath - one of a pair with 051 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.
Stone faced rath - one of a pair with 051 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 8872.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Stone faced rath - one of a pair with 051 (0.1 km), Rathturret. trivallate rath & possible souterrain (1.1 km), Grotto (1.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Stone faced rath - one of a pair with 051'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.
Stone faced rath - one of a pair with 051 stands on Hawick Group, bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is wacke.