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 the Ulster for centuries.
It’s stout dry-stone walls (no mortar) are 12 feet thick and 18 feet high, creating an interior sanctuary 80 feet in diameter.
Once inside, you can scramble up the stairs, which are built into the walls, to enjoy the 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.
Legend says he had each of his soldiers carry away one stone, attempting to make it tougher for the O’Neill clan to find the raw materials to rebuild. What we see today is mostly a reconstruction from the 1870s.
