Grianan of Aileach
by John Moyer
Title
Grianan of Aileach
Artist
John Moyer
Medium
Photograph
Description
This photo was made standing next to the Grianan of Aileach in County Donegal, Ireland on April 27, 2007. It is also called "Grianán Ailigh". Lough Swilly is in the background in this photo.
A sign next to the fort said:
"Grianan Ailligh
This large stone-walled fort, located on a hilltop commanding views over Loughs Foyle and Swilly and Counties Donegal, Derry and Tyrone, was the royal citadel of the Northern Uí Néill from the 5th to the 12th century. It was probably built some time around the birth of Christ. Its builders may have been attracted to this hilltop site by the presence here of a sacred monument -- a prehistoric burial mound or tumulus, possibly from the Neolithic period (about 3000BC).
A lintelled passage through the 4.5m thick wall leads to the interior where the wall rises in three terraces to a height of about 5m; there are also two long passages contained within the thickness of the wall. Substantial restoration work was carried out in 1870. We know little about the three earthen banks which circle the Grianan, but they could be part of an earlier Bronze Age or Iron Age hillfort. The trackway running through these banks and leading to the fort is believed to be an ancient roadway."
Uploaded
August 11th, 2018
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