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Tullyard fort is a counterscarp rath situated in the Newry and Mourne district of Northern Ireland. This early medieval Irish fortification represents a distinctive defensive design, in which an outer bank and ditch are positioned on the inner side of the main enclosure rather than following the conventional outer placement. Such structures, typically constructed between the fifth and twelfth centuries, provided both practical defence and a display of status within early Irish society.
The fort sits on bedrock formed from the Gala Group, a wacke-dominated geology characteristic of this region. The underlying stone would have influenced both the construction methods employed and the drainage characteristics of the site, shaping how the earthworks have survived to the present day.
The monument is protected by the Historic Environment Division under reference 6093, recognising its significance as evidence of early medieval settlement patterns and defensive practices in Ulster. The counterscarp rath form remains relatively uncommon compared to conventional ring forts, making Tullyard fort an important example of Iron Age and early medieval Irish fortification design in its local landscape.
Tullyard fort. counterscarp rath is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 6093. View the official record →
Tullyard fort is a counterscarp rath situated in the Newry and Mourne district of Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 6093.
Tullyard fort. counterscarp 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.
Tullyard fort. counterscarp 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 6093.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Corliss fort, donaghy's fort, corliss, the beech fort. bivallate rath and souterrain (0.7 km), Lisamry fort. counterscarp rath & souterrain (1.6 km), Standing stones (remains of megalithic tomb?) (2.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Tullyard fort. counterscarp 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.
Tullyard fort. counterscarp rath stands on Gala Group, bedrock that formed in the Telychian. The rock here is wacke.