Rahara is now part of the parish of the Catholic parish of Knockcroghery, St. John's, Rahara Parish in the Diocese of Elphin. In 1308 Rahara was listed as a separate parish.
The name Rahara, either Rath Aradh or Rath Ara in Irish, means the 'the Fort of Aradh''. Raths, or ringforts, were inhabited from Early Christian times right up to the seventeenth century, with most dating from the fourth to the eight century.
Below is pictured a small rath in the townland of Lacken.
Raths were the homes of the land owning farmers. A rath with one surrounding bank was an ordinary farmstead or settlement. Raths with more surrounding banks were the homesteads of the more wealthy. Inside the rath the farmer built his house. He could also bring in his livestock in times of attack, but the rath was not well enough defended to hold off a strong attack. Often only the farmer and his family lived inside the rath with the workers living in huts outside the enclosure.The Rahara area has many interesting historical sites.
