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Trivallate rath is a three-banked earthwork monument located in Newtownabbey, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The rath comprises three concentric defensive banks separated by ditches, a defensive arrangement typical of early Christian period ringforts in Ulster. The monument is conjoined with a second early Christian rath, creating a paired settlement form relatively common in early medieval Ireland. The site sits upon Palaeogene extrusive rocks—mafic lavas and tuffs—which form the bedrock geology of this part of County Antrim, providing a firm foundation for the earthwork banks.
Raths of this type were typically constructed during the early Christian period, serving as defended homesteads or minor fortified settlements. The triple-bank design offered substantial protection and would have required considerable labour investment to construct. The proximity of a conjoined second rath suggests intensive settlement activity in this locality during the early medieval period, when such ringforts proliferated across the Irish landscape as centres of farming and local authority.
The monument is protected by the Historic Environment Division under statutory reference 3635 and remains a significant example of early medieval settlement archaeology in the Newtownabbey area. Trivallate raths are relatively uncommon, making this dual example a valuable archaeological resource for understanding settlement patterns and defensive practices in early Christian Ireland.
Trivallate rath, conjoined with 051 is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 3635. View the official record →
Trivallate rath is a three-banked earthwork monument located in Newtownabbey, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 3635.
Trivallate rath, conjoined 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.
Trivallate rath, conjoined 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 3635.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Berginniss mount, barginnis mount. motte (7.6 km), Court tomb (8.3 km), Standing stone (8.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Trivallate rath, conjoined 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.
Trivallate rath, conjoined with 051 stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.