Todd Atteberry: Historical Travel & Haunted Stock Photography and Illustration : Photo Keywords : donegal

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These are the latest versions of photos previous posted. These will be the finals, I promise!

County Donegal, Ireland
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The Grianan of Aileach is an Iron Age stone fortress, in county Donegal, Ireland. Like many historic sites in Ireland there is no admission fee, there is no museum, and visited during the right time of the year, there are no tourists. In few places in the world can you wander freely in a place of such antiquity, steeped in legend and myth, without distraction.

It was occupied from about 800 B.C.E. till about 1200 C.E., and according to legend was build by the renowned Kind Daghda of the Tuatha de Danann. Supposedly, the king's son Aeah was buried in the center of the fortress. It was the seat of the Kingdom of Aileach, who ruled much of Ulster at the time. It was raised once by Vikings, and Murtaigh O'Brien, Kind of Munster finished the job in 1191. It was restored to its current state in the 19th century.

The actual purpose of the place is somewhat of a mystery. Ring forts and hill forts were often used to contain cattle, and served as a defense when under attack. But the size and grandeur of the place leads most to believe it also had a special governmental purpose. In addition, there are theories that the word Gianana means sunny place, and that it also served as a sun temple. St. Patrick most certainly visited

n the historic period, from the middle of the sixth century, the Grianán of Aileach is always thought of as the capital of the northern Ui Neill, the dynasty descended from Niall of the Nine Hostages. It acted as such up until the twelfth century. However as it was destroyed in 1050, it was the capital in name only. It was the site where the Kings of Aileach held their inauguration ceremonies. It is written in the Tripartite Life of St. Patrick that Patrick blessed the fortress and left a symbolic flagstone there prophesying that many kings and clerics would come from the place. This flagstone can no longer be found at the fortress. It is believed that a preserved flagstone at Belmont House School in Derry, called St. Columb’s Stone, is the inauguration stone. On one side of the stone, which is 2 metres square, are carved two feet marks. However, there is no substantiating evidence to back this up. Near the fortress is a well, said to have been blessed by Patrick, and to have healing properties.

Whatever the truth of the place, it absolutely stinks of history and enchantment. There are no decorations aside from the lintel over the door, no adornments. It's power is through location, the magic of the circle and its size. Though imposing on the outside, it's amazing to step inside and realize how small a place of such power actually was. It's also easy to imagine it bustling with life, as well as swept up in panic as an invading army waited outside its walls. History in Ireland is like the weather, it's rarely sunny for long. But always magical.

Compiled in part from Wikipedia

Killybegs Harbor
County Donegal, Republic of Ireland

Muckross Surf
Muckross Head, County Donegal, Republic of Ireland

It seems that there once was a young captain of a fishing boat out of Teelin who fished in Donegal Bay over towards Mullaghmore. While plying for his catch the captain was repeatedly taken by the lilting of a mermaid and enchanted the man. Soon the mermaid noticed the young sailor and she in turn fell in love with him, so much so that she beseeched her father for permission to live her life on land with her beloved. Upon hearing the earnestness of her pleading her father knew this was no passing fancy and decided that the only thing to do was to kill the source of her affections, and he plotted to create a storm to drown the captain. The mermaid and the captain met before this could happen, trothed their mutual love, and she presented him with a magic dagger, telling him that if ever his life was in danger on the sea that he should toss the implement into the water and the seas would calm. Soon after this the mermaid father seized his chance when the captain went out on the bay to fish. A terrible storm arose and the fishing boat foundered and began to break up. Meanwhile, the mermaid noticed the storm and when she found her father absent she raced to the scene. The captain waited as long as he could before bringing himself to use the knife the mermaid had given him, but seeing no other hope and having already lost several hands, he threw the knife into the water to save himself and his remaining crew and the lo, storm subsided. Soon afterwards the body of the mermaid was found floating on the surface, a knife piercing her breast. Devastated, the Teelin captain returned to land and forsook the sea ever after. The tune the mermaid lilted at the beginning of the tale became known as “Maighdean Mhara Mhullach Mhoir.”

Told by Caoimhin Mac Aoidh in Between the Jigs and Reels

Ardara, County Donegal, Republic of Ireland

Carriage House Entrance
Ardara, County Donegal, Ireland

Woodhill House Garden
Ardara, County Donegal, Republic of Ireland

East Face of Cross Pillar, Station 2, Straid, Turas Colmcille,
Glencolmcille, Donegal, Republic of Ireland

West Face of Cross Pillar, Station 2, Straid, Turas Colmcille,
Glencolmcille, Donegal, Republic of Ireland

Glencolumbkille, Donegal, Ireland
In England, the theories of ley lines are quite popular, but you never really hear them applied in Ireland. A ley is an alignment of ancient sites, laid out in a straight line. Often Christian sites are included, as in the early days of Christianity, pagan sites were built upon to co-opt the ancient religions, to make the new more palatable. St. Columba was one of the three patron saints of Ireland, living around 500 A.D. and born in the area. The area had been a pagan center for 2-3,000 years before it, and his followers settled here. As a result, there are perhaps more pagan and early Christian sites in the area than anywhere else in Ireland. The standing stone in the foreground was Christianized very early on, and if you follow that to the much later Christian church, and beyond that to the notched mountain, you find a very convenient, if in all probability bogus ley. There is no evidence that leys even exist in reality, quite possibly accidents of nature or easily explained coincidence. The true value of leys are in the ability to make the viewer think and wonder. And in that, Glencolumbkille is second to none.

See photo in original gallery.

Keywords: port village panorama donegal eire ire fine art prints art prints and posters

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