One of Ireland’s most stunning locations

Grianan of Aileach sits 800 feet above sea level and commands some of the best vistas in Ireland. This incredible site dates back to 1700 BC and is believed in Irish mythology to be the seat of Daghdha, the father of the Tuatha de Danann. Over the millennia it has been used for many purposes including tribal gatherings, defense, and as its name implies ‘sun worship’. The first stone ring fort was built around 700 AD by the ancestors of a semi-mythical character known as Niall of the Nine Hostages. Niall ruled this area around 450AD, during the era of St Patrick, and was baptized by him at the holy well beside the fort. This important moment started the conversion of the people in the north of Ireland to Christianity. Niall’s O’Neill & McLaughlin descendants went on to dominate Ireland for the next 1000 years making them the longest-lasting kings by far in Irish history. Over the years the fort has been attacked numerous times by The Gaels, the Vikings, and the English. By 1850 the fort was almost completely demolished but in 1878 it was pain-stalkingly restored to its former glory by an amateur archaeologist from Derry named Dr. Walter Bernard.