raths

Raths, plural of ráth, is the term used for circular earthen ringforts that are a common feature of Ireland’s archaeological landscape. The word ráth means “ringfort” or “ring-fortress” in the Irish language, and it is used to describe large, enclosed earthworks that date mainly to the Early Medieval period. A typical rath consists of an earthen bank and outer ditch surrounding an internal courtyard in which dwellings and workshops were located. Diameters usually range from about 20 to 60 meters. Some raths feature stone or timber revetments along the interior of the bank, and a few have multiple banks and ditches, forming more complex enclosures. Entrances are usually notable gaps in the bank and ditch, sometimes with a raised approach or causeway across the outer ditch.

Raths are found predominantly across Ireland, with concentrations in many provinces and counties where cultivation and settlement were dense in the medieval period. They also occur in parts of the Irish Sea region, including Scotland and the Isle of Man, though they are far more numerous in Ireland. Chronologies based on finds and dating methods place most activity between the 5th and 12th centuries, though some may have earlier origins or continued to be used into later medieval times. Their interpretation has shifted from fortress in the modern sense to largely domestic farmsteads or small defended homesteads that played a role in everyday rural life, social organization, and resource storage.

Today, raths are protected as archaeological monuments in Ireland, and surviving examples contribute to understanding rural life in early medieval Ireland.