Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Tour Begins
• Leave Derry on A-2, which becomes N-13 near the town of Bridge End. You'll see a sign
for the
Grianan Aileach Ring Fort
posted on N-13, not far from the junction with R-239.
Turn up the steep hill at the modern church with the round roof, and follow signs three
kilometers (2 miles) to find...
▲
Grianan Aileach Ring Fort
This dramatic, ancient ring fort perches on an 800-foot hill just inside the Republic, a
stone's throw from Derry. It's an Iron Age fortification, built about the time of Christ, and
was once the royal stronghold of the O'Neill clan, which dominated Ulster for centuries.
Its stout dry-stone walls (no mortar) are 12 feet thick and 18 feet high, creating an interior
sanctuary 80 feet in diameter (entry is free and unattended).
Once inside, you can scramble up the stairs, which are built into the walls, to enjoy
panoramic views in all directions. Murtagh O'Brien, King of Desmond (roughly, today's
Limerick, Clare, and Tipperary counties), destroyed the fort in 1101...the same power-play
year in which he gave the Rock of Cashel to the Church. He had each of his soldiers carry
away one stone, attempting to make it tougher for the O'Neill clan to find the raw materi-
als to rebuild. What you see today is mostly a reconstruction from the 1870s.
