7 fascinating ancient Celtic sites for you to visit across Northern Ireland
By Conor McAteer
Published 7th Dec 2023, 17:58 BST
For countless centuries, Northern Ireland has stood as an enduring testament to the raw and rugged forces of nature.
Through the annals of time, this land has defiantly weathered the storms of history, bearing witness to countless battles and upheavals, yet its timeless scenery remains steadfast and unaltered.
Check out these seven ancient Celtic sites that you can visit across Northern Ireland:
5. Tullyhogue Fort Tullywiggan Road, Tullyhogue
Not far from Cookstown, this seemingly innocuous mound, surrounded by trees, was actually the location where the Chiefs of the Clan O’Neill of Tyrone were.
The site truly came to historical prominence in the 11th century, when the Cenel Feargusa, who included the O’Hagans, allies of the O’Neills, took possession of the site as a ‘reachtaire’ (steward of the household) which they held right up until the 17th century. The O’Hagans eventually became the site’s hereditary guardians, with their burial place at Donaghrisk situated at the bottom of the hill. The inauguration of successive O’Neill rulers was carried out by the heads of the O’Cahan and O’Hagan - the former, the O’Neill’s principal sub-chief, would throw a golden sandal over the new Lord’s head to signify good fortune. O’Hagan, being the hereditary guardian of Tullyhogue, would place the shoe on O’Neill’s foot and present him with a rod of office. Hugh O’Neill’s inauguration in 1595 would be the last such event at Tullyhogue. Photo: Discover NI
6. Hill of the O’Neill, Market Square, Dungannon
The name Dungannon is thought to have been derived from the Irish Dun Geannain - the Fort of Geannan.
Geannan had been a powerful druid, a figure of great influence over ancient Celtic culture. Accordingly, it is believed that he selected the Hill as his stronghold for its commanding position, overlooking seven counties, as well as Lough Neagh. This advantage was also undoubtedly at the heart of the O’Neill clan’s decision to establish their military and political power here in the 14th century. All the same, one clan’s stronghold is another clan’s target, and the site witnessed untold battles, feuds, sieges, and dynastic disputes, with the site being endlessly captured, razed, recaptured and rebuilt.
Following the Flight of the Earls in 1607, the Hill was controlled by Sir Arthur Chichester, Lord Deputy of Ireland, who chose the site as a base for the Ulster Plantation. Photo: Discover NI
7. Giant’s Ring, near Shaw's Bridge, off Ballynahatty Road, Belfast
This monument near Shaw’s Bridge, on the southern edge of Belfast, is thought to have been constructed around 2700 BC; if so, then it predates the Egyptian Pyramids of Giza. Archaeologist Michael O’Kelly believed that the RIng, like hundreds of other passage tombs, showed evidence of a religion which venerated the dead as one of its core principles. This ‘cult of the dead’ was simply one form of European Neolithic religion and other megalithic monuments displayed evidence for different religious beliefs which were solar-based rather than revolving around death. Photo: Discover NI