County County Antrim Sovereign state United Kingdom EU Parliament Northern Ireland | Country Northern Ireland Postcode district BT41 Dialling code 028 | |
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Rathbeg (from Irish: An Ráth Beag, meaning "the little fort") is a townland in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is situated in the civil parishes of Grange of Nilteen (3 acres) and Donegore (178 acres), both in the historic barony of Antrim Upper.
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History
The townland name is first recorded in the Annals of the Four Masters which reported that the High King of Ireland, Diarmait mac Cerbaill, was slain by Áed Dub mac Suibni, the king of Dál nAraidi and Ulaid, was slain at Rdith Bec in 565 AD. The fort after which the townland is named was removed during the construction of the M2 motorway in 1973, although the name Rathbeg was retained for the traffic roundabout in the townland.
Archaeology
In 1967 rescue excavations took place in advance of motorway construction (at grid ref: J183882) at the rath site some 2.5 miles north-east of Antrim. The rath had been surrounded by a V-shaped ditch 19ft wide and 9ft deep. Fragments of a cordoned souterrain pot were found and a kiln structure and charcoal remains.