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The Mount is a raised rath located in Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland. A rath is an early Christian earthwork dwelling, typically comprising a circular or oval enclosure surrounded by one or more defensive banks and ditches. This example sits upon Mercia Mudstone Group bedrock, a geological formation of Rhaetian age composed of mudstone, sandstone and limestone. The soft substrate would have presented particular challenges for the construction and maintenance of the earthwork banks, requiring careful engineering to prevent erosion and subsidence of the surrounding ditches.
The monument is a relatively modest example of early Christian settlement in the region. Raths of this type generally date between the 5th and 10th centuries, serving as residences for farming families or minor chieftains and their households. The raised configuration suggests adaptation to local conditions, possibly to manage drainage on the mudstone bedrock or to maximise defensive visibility across the surrounding landscape.
The Mount is protected by the Historic Environment Division of the Department for Communities, Northern Ireland, under reference number HB3780. This designation recognises its archaeological significance as evidence of early medieval settlement patterns and domestic life in the Carrickfergus area, contributing to understanding of how early Christian communities organised their settlements and exploited the local environment.
The mount. raised rath is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 3780. View the official record →
The Mount is a raised rath located in Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 3780.
The mount. raised 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.
The mount. raised 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 3780.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Wwii home guard storage buildings (0.8 km), Boundary wall of joymount gardens (1.9 km), Mound - motte? (2.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of The mount. raised 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.
The mount. raised rath stands on Mercia Mudstone Group, bedrock that formed in the Rhaetian. The rock here is mudstone, sandstone and limestone.