hills historical ireland

Dating to the 3rd millennium B.C., the site is known in Irish as Sliabh na Caillighe - 'the Hill of the Witch', legend declaring that the mounds and cairns were created by an over-flying witch dropping pebbles on the landscape. The view from atop the hills is one of subtle and varied contrasts, the rolling fertile lands of Meath stretching to the south and east, the lakelands and expansive flat plains of Cavan and the Midlands seemingly limitless as they spread towards the Shannon....

Overlooking the town of Athboy is the Hill of Ward where the great Celtic Feast of Samhain (1st November) took place every year. Although the annals record the feast was held as late as 1168 (when the last Gaelic High-King of Ireland, Rory O'Connor, presided), it was in pagan times that the celebrations were at their wildest with the druids offering sacrifices and burning victims on Samhain eve.

To this day the feast of Hallowe'en is celebrated all over Ireland on the night of th...

In an excellent state of preservation, this extensive hill fortification dates from the 8th century B.C....

This tall mound, planted with conifers, looks like a Norman motte without a bailey. it is likely to be one of the numerous earthworks erected by the Anglo-Normans between 1177 and the mid 13th century to keep a tight hold on the lands they conquered in Co. Down. As the name Shandon is derived from the Irish words 'old fort', it is possible that the mound was built on the site of an earlier Irish fortification....

Knockmany Hill, 2 miles north west of Augher, si topped by a large passage grave with stones incised with swirling patterns. The spiral motives are similar to those at Newgrange in County Meath. A cairn was built over the top in 1959 to protect the Knockmany grave, which appears above ground in old photographs. To get inside the tomb, ask at the ranger's house at the forest entrance, though there is a general view of the stones through an iron grid. The mythological mother goddess Aine, loved by...

The chief crowning place of the O'Neills, from the early twelfth to the seventeeth century was 2 miles outside Cookstown at Tullaghoge, headquarters of the O'Hagans, chief justices of Tyrone. There is a fine view of the old kingdom of Tyrone from the top of this tree ringed hill. The circular graveyard nearby, with a wall round it, was the O'Hagan burial place.

During the ceremony the King elect sat on a stone inaugration chair, new sandals were placed on his feet, the assembled chiefs c...

Approximately 5 miles (8 kms) north of the entrance gates to Slane Castle on the Carrickmacross road, near Lobinstown, this hill dominates the surrounding countryside. The site has many prehistoric remains, among them the outline of houses associated with 4th-century neolithic farmers. There are at least thirty other prehistoric monuments including ring forts in the district (the most prominent called the 'Cup and Saucer' can be seen on an adjoining hill). The spectacular views may explain the p...

Uisneagh Hill is about 11 miles from Mullingar on the R390. On this hill can be found the Catstone or "Ail Na Mearainn", said to be the meeting point of the five ancient provinces of Ireland. This is the hill on which King Tuathal Teachmar erected his royal palace in the second century. An imposing hill, 180 metres high, "Uisneagh" provides a magnificent view of the midlands. It was the seat of the High Kings of Ireland for 200 years prior to the coming of St. Patrick and the geat paga...

(Cnoc an Chrochaire), the Hangman's Hill, is so called from an elevated mound east of the village, which was once a place of execution. The village was once noted for the manufacture of clay pipes from clay imported from England....

Famous as the seat of the High Kings of Ireland, the Hill of Tara has been an important site since the Stone Age, when a passage tomb was constructed. Tara was a political and religious centre in early Christian times and though it declined in importance as Christianity spread in Ireland, the site still retains its air of mysticism.
Today the ruins are sadly deserted, poignant reminders of what once was, but from atop the hill the visitor can still experience some of the magic which fi...