Machaire Rátha

Machaire Rátha, meaning 'plain of the ring-fort,' derives from the earlier name Ráth Lúraigh (Lurach's fort), commemorating a fortified settlement of considerable antiquity. Saint Lurach, a member of the Royal Colla Uais clan and reputed to be among those evangelised by Saint Patrick, founded a monastery here in the 6th century, establishing Maghera as an early Christian centre of ecclesiastica...