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Trivallate Rath is an early Christian fortified homestead situated in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The monument comprises three concentric defensive earthwork banks, a characteristic feature of raths constructed during the early medieval period. These circular or oval enclosures served as the domestic and defensive centres of prosperous farming families, providing protection for livestock and dwelling structures within their ramparts.
The rath is constructed upon bedrock composed of Palaeogene extrusive rocks—mafic lavas and tuffs formed during intense volcanic activity in the early Tertiary period. This ancient basaltic geology underlying the site reflects Antrim's position within the extensive lava plateau that characterises the north-eastern Irish landscape. The solid rock foundation would have provided a stable base for the substantial earthworks that define the monument.
The site is protected by the Historic Environment Division of the Department for Communities under monument reference 4706. This designation recognises Trivallate Rath as a significant archaeological asset, preserving evidence of early Christian settlement patterns and social organisation in medieval Ulster. The monument remains an important record of the domestic and economic strategies employed by rural communities during the formative centuries of Irish Christianity.
Trivallate rath is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 4706. View the official record →
Trivallate Rath is an early Christian fortified homestead situated in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 4706.
Trivallate 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.
Trivallate 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 4706.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Tullyrusk fort. raised rath & plantation fort (4.8 km), Earthwork enclosure (6.3 km), Bivallate rath with souterrain & rath annexe (6.4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Trivallate 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.
Trivallate rath stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.