“You have come late – but you have come. The long way excuses your delay.”
Friedrich Schiller in Wallenstein, The Piccolomini, Act 1, Scene 1.
Still searching for suspects and sense in vain, naively reasoning that there must be a trace of an all enlightening remark somewhere of such a dominant site. But so far, hills of the sun springing up everywhere, except in Inishowen. As for the legend below – What shame it does not belong to our hill.
CORMAC AND THE BADGERS.
Cormac Gaileng, son of Tadg son of Cían, son of Ailill Olum, ancestor of the Gailenga east and west,* and of the Luigne and of the Saithne. Gaileng then from this: Cormac son of Tadg made a great feast for his father at Breslech, and there was a hundred of every kind of four-footed animal at that feast except badgers only. Tadg told Cormac to go and seek badgers for the feast. Cormac assented to this and went forth from the place.
And there came to him Odrán, the druid, the son of Láidir, charioteer of the son of Tadg’s steward.” What is thy desire, O Cormac,” said Odrán. “To seek badgers,” said Cormac, “for Tadg’s feast.” “There is a prophecy to me of it,” said Odrán, “that I should get badgers for thee.” ” Are there any for me?” said Corniac. “There are,” said the druid, “badgers which have been transformed, and they are human beings by origin, who were changed by Grían the Brightcheeked , daughter of Firae son of Eogabal, into the forms of badgers. And this was Grían’s reason for (changing) them, namely, five sons of Conoll, son of Echaid Ron, son of Mug Núadat, were they, and they slew Grían’s maidservant, and these youths destroyed Firae’s sid (fairy knoll), and Grían came to them, and changed those champions into badgers, and they are so still,” said Odrán.
(And when Conoll heard that his sons were destroyed, he came to Cnocna curad (hill of the champions), which is called Cnoc Gréine (Grían’s hill), and found Grían asleep there, and a contest took place between them , so that he nearly killed her. “Is it thou, O Conoll,” said she. “It is I,” said he. “Come close to me, O Conoll,” said she, “so that a blessing may be given to thee.” Conoll came close to her. The maiden shook ashes [on him].
Then she went from the hill to Carn Conuill, and found death there, and from her the cairn is named. Grían afterwards died on that hill, and from her is it called Cnoc Gréine.)
Cormac and Odrán went to seek the badgers. Then Odrán said to Cormac that they would not come out on his protection, and that they would come on the truth of his father. Cormac took the spear of Tadg with him as a sign of truth towards them. Without Tadg’s knowledge then Cormac bore the spear with him, and he took their fortress from the badgers, and said to them, that they should come forth to him on the truth of Tadg. Then the badgers came forth from their fort, when they saw Tadg’s spear in sign of truth to them; and Cormac slew them after that. So that therefore Tadg drove his son from him, i.e. Cormac, so that he is apart in consequence of breaking his faith with the foolish animals unde dicitur Gailenga and Cormac Gaileng. Gaileng now, i.e. gua-lang .i. gua a lie, and lang deceit, i.e. deceit which Cormac did to the badgers, etc.
Gaileng dicitur quasi lang in gai, ‘deceit of the spear’, for it was the spear of his father that was in Cormac’s hand, when he killed the badgers with it. Cormac Gaileng, a quo the four Gailengs, i.e. the Little Gailenga in Meath, and Gailenga Collamrach, and Gailenga Murbuilg and Gailenga Chail, etc.
*Now Gallen in the county of Mayo and Mor-gallen in the north of the countv of Meath.
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BURT CASTLE, COUNTY DONEGAL.
Whoever has visited Lough Swilly has seen and admired the romantic tower-capped promontory on its southern shore, distinguished by the name of Castlehill. The last time I entered the singular edifice from which the hill is named, was in company with an esteemed friend; the weather was delightful serene, and the surrounding scenery, with mountain and valley, water and woodland, brightened by the mellow radiance of a July eve, was such as in a dream of music might have been conjured up before the mind’s eye of Poussin or Claude Lorraine. The hill is conical, and may be seen from an immense distance, as it rises nearly seven hundred feet above the level of the sea. Having climbed this ascent, and passed over a fosse of extraordinary dimensions, which must have been accessible only by means of a draw bridge, you enter the outer area, and pause a moment to contemplate the venerable pile. It is a quadrangular structure, with circular towers at its alternate angles, and was evidently a place of some strength, as there are many embrasures for cannon, and the walls are from four to five feet in thickness, while the merions of blue purheck stone are perforated for musquetry. You enter, by a ruined archway, what was once the great hall – once, perhaps, the scene of feudal splendor, garnished with the trophies of warfare or the chase, and resounding with the revelry of wine and wassail. The vaulted ceilings of this, and all other apartments immediately above it, have fallen in, rendering the chambers of the northern tower inaccessible, except by means of ladders. Turning to the left, you ascend by a spiral stone stair, at each winding of which there is a circular room, lighted by a few embrasures, and vaulted with stone, for no wood has ever been used in any part of the building. There is a breach in the casement wall of the third story, where persons of sensitive nerves usually pause.
Having reached the top, you perceive that what you mistook for the roof is only the floor of another range of apartments, for two more stories formerly rose majestically from what is now the top; these, as well as the eastern front, were probably much injured in the storming of the place, which followed the attainder of its last proprietor, as a shattered bomb, of about nineteen pounds weight, was found a few years since the ruins, and another portion was thrown down, to furnish materials for building, by a rustic vandal, who was only deterred from his work of dilapidation by the tasteful and spirited interference of the late Earl of Wicklow. Another turret, of eighteen feet high, from which the banner of the chieftain flaunted, or his beacon watchfire fling its lurid gleam upon the night, was overturned, in the summer of 1825, by a thunder storm. Up to that period Burt Castle was sixty feet in height, at present it is only forty-two. From the top the prospect is uncommonly grand and expansive, extending over a space of not less than fifty miles by thirty-seven. Within the circuit of five miles from its base, stood the ruins of several religious edifices, besides another castle at Rathmelton, one at Drumbuoy, and one at Castleforward; but the castles at Inch and Ailagh, with Burt Castle, were border fortresses of “the O’Doherty,” the strength of which availed more than the justice of the tenure in preserving their patrimonial territories to the chieftains of that noble house. Of these Ailagh, situated within three miles of Derry, was by far the most ancient and important, a sketch of which, and of the Abbey of Killydonell, I reserve for a future communication.
Burt Castle was most probably erected during the commotions that ensued during the vice-royalty of Kildare, in the reign of Henry VIII. A medallion of that date, with the armorial bearings of “the O’Doherty,” and a coin dated from the accession of Edward VI., have been found in its vicinage; the latter is now in the possession of the Rev. James Conegland, of Ballyscullin, in the County of Derry.
In the year 1318 we find the chieftain of Ennishowen affianced to the daughter of the grand northern dynast, O’Neil, as a reward for his services during the invasion of Ireland by Edward Bruce. Again we find the name of O’Doherty in the list of those chieftains who perished at the battle of Knoctore, in 1492. Thenceforward there is little mention of that family, till Sir John began, in the reign of Edward VI., to offer resistance to the measures of the English government as determined as it was unavailing; and dying, he bequeathed his estates and his misfortunes to his son and successor, Sir Cahir, who saw the impending ruin of his house, and vainly laboured to avert its fall. His estates were confiscated in 1608, and he went down, after a fearful and unequal contest, like a stately bark, foundering amid whirlpools and quicksands; and many a tear bewailed his doom, but not one hand recorded his expiring struggle. Of the particulars of his death there are many conflicting traditional narratives, one of which nearly corresponds with that given in your seventh number.
This is a neighbourhood rich in historical associations. About a mile distant lies the Canon Isle, once the site of a monastic establishment, and, till of late years, a cemetery; and two miles from hence, in a deer park, is a druidical cromlech, from which an urn has been lately extracted – but of this hereafter. These, with edifices I have enumerated, present a scene than which Glendalough or Lindisfarne scarcely furnish a richer field for the historian or the antiquary.
I love to contemplate these hoary fragments of feudal towers – these mouldering monuments of days gone by. Whatever flings the mind forward to futurity, or makes it revert to “the deeds of days of other years”, improves at once the understanding and the heart. “That man,” says Johnson, “is not much to be envied for his stoicism, whose patriotism would not be warmed upon the field of marathon, or his piety exalted and inflamed amid the ruins of Iona.” The elevated situation of Burt Castle prevent ivy , or other perennial plants, from growing around it; the wind hums dolefully through its vaulted chambers and ruined portals; and not all the æolians in the universe could abstract the mind for contemplation, or so mould it for moody melancholy.
The view of Derry, which is only seven miles distant, is partially obscured by the lofty hill of Grynan; on the top of which, nearly one thousand feet above the level of the sea, stands an ancient temple of the sun – perhaps the most complete in the kingdom, resembling in shape the old Roman amphitheatre. It is built of flag, and limestone, seems uninjured by time, and interspersed with pieces of quartz. The wall of white stone is about one hundred and eighty yards in circumference, and contains a subterranean passage of the same length. What were the superstitious rites performed here, it were vain to conjecture – why it was built on a site so inaccessible, it were folly to inquire – what reason did not dictate, reason never can explain. This we know, on the occurring testimonies of Keating, Vallancey, and O’Connor, that the Phoenicians and Celts brought into this country the sun worship of their own.
This was undoubtedly one of their temples, and the very etymology of its name strongly corroborates the opinion, for the Celtic name of the sun is GRYAN, and ANE is a temple ; similar names have been given to other places dedicated to the same divinity. Strabo, confirmed by
Pausanius, mentions a grynium at Eolis, and describes it as a temple and grove of Apollo (or the sun.) Eupherion of Chalais, writing on the origin of oracles, describes a circular grynium, sacred to Apollo. So Virgil, in his sixth bucolic—
” His tibi Grynai nemoris dicatur origo
Ne quis sit lucus, quo se plus jactet Apollo.”
What a train of awful reflections presses on the mind while contemplating this time-defying structure. In truth, it is a homily of fine moralities. The mind seems to shrink within itself, and shudders with instinctive awe as we cast a retrospective glance up the tide of life that has rolled by into eternity. How forcibly does it remind us of our fleeting and ephemeral mortality. This ancient ruin—compared with its duration how transitory is our own. Erected at a period antecedent to the time of Confucius or Lycurgus, or his greater cotemporary, Ollamh Fodhla, it has survived the system of its founders, as well as the more mysterious and sanguinary rites of druidism. It has outlived the rise, the glory, and the decline, of the Greek, and Persian, and Roman empires. It has witnessed the rise and progress of Christianity— the feudal system—the impostures of the Koran—the extension and the decay of the empire of Charlemagne—the age of chivalry—the invention of printing, and consequent revival of modern literature. More antique than Stonehenge or Palmyra, and, perhaps, coeval with the mounds of Tartary, or the labyrinths of upper Egypt. The dark blue vapor that, while I write, sweeps around this rocky turban of the hill, and shrouds it from my view, is not more impervious to mortal vision than the sombre mists of time that will for ever veil the period of its rise from the scrutiny of the antiquarian.
Peter McLoughlin.
Castleforward.
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Remembering my more than lucky escape from February last, I left this time the car at St. Angus Church, slightly daunted by the long walk and pressed for time, since I had to go to work. As it turned out, I rather foolishly decided to take a shortcut through the fields on the more gentle slope to the north-west, hoping to avoid the solid ice on the road and save some time as result. The snow was hard and deep and progress slow and exhausting. But it must have been the most beautiful start to any year, any decade.
At arrival I leaned on the wall of the southern end of the upper platform, looking north into Inishowen over Asdevlin Hill, as I was strangely overcome by what I only can describe as a sinking-ship-feeling. The southern section of the wall is lower than the northern. This occurrence may have become more perceptible than usual by the light conditions created by the snow, leaving the north end thrusting up like the bow of a ship while the south was plunged back into the deep. Photographing Grianán from the east always leaves it sliding down south and when looked at from Holywell Hill, it appears to be unable to hold on for much longer. The same observation was made by Dr. Walter Bernard as he restored the monument in 1874.
“At first we made the entire structure uniform in height, but looking at it from a distance it was found unsightly. This apparent want of proportion was occasioned by the irregularity of the ground on which it is built; so, to compensate for this inclination, we raised the wall a few feet higher on the southern than on the northern portion.”
This consideration was obviously lost as the OPW rebuilt the section after the 2005 collapse, resulting in a visible sloping of the building to the south. But beside causing an “apparent want of proportion”, it may also be the reason for an always existing danger to the stability of the building, as noted by Dr. Bernard.
“When exposed to view, the side walls of the southern gallery were seen to be deplorably dilapidated, in many parts broken down, and the flagging entirely removed from the roof, with the exception of two or three. The lintels of both northern and southern entrances were in their original positions. Fortunately the seat and recess in the southern were not much injured. It will be found on examination that the side walls of the northern are in much better preservation than those in the southern; but the latter are well pinned up, and though unsightly, nothing needs be apprehended as regards stability. You will ask why it is that the southern side suffered so much more than the other. This being the side of the prevalent storms, and of the inclination of the hill, in my opinion, accounts for the mischief not only to the gallery itself, but also to that side of the entire structure in the south-west.”
But why would the builders of this monument knowingly risked collapse, if it easily could have been positioned five to ten metres further to the north, placing it at the summit instead of beside and away from the southern slope and likely damage to the building’s integrity?
No burial nor the remains of such have been found inside Grianán. Both Col. Blacker in 1830 and Dr. Bernard in 1874 only seemed to have cleared stones and debri but not soil from it. The altar stone and the remains of a Penal Law chapel were found resting on the rock surface underneath. Although oak trees once covered this hill and its top soil would have been sufficiently deep to accommodate their roots system, there is only a small and improvable possibility of a grave or burial on this very spot, around which, the monument could have been built at a later stage, and so, explaining its fragile positioning. The cutting down of the trees took probably place during the Bronze Age, some three or four thousand years ago. Without the roots literally pinning the soil to the rock, it could have taken only a few decades, or even less, to wash it all down the slopes. A tumulus was found between the inner and middle rampart, consisting of a “small mound having around it a circle of ten stones laid horizontally and converging towards the centre. This mound has been recently opened (1835), but nothing was discovered in it that would throw light on the purpose of its erection.” (Colby, Ordnance Survey). With the tumulus being so close to the building itself, it is reasonable safe to conclude, that a second burial would not have been placed inside Grianán.
The only other option remaining is that this potential risky location was chosen to serve as part of an alignment. Capt. H. Boyle Somerville submitted a paper to The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland in 1909, “Ancient Stone Monuments Near Lough Swilly, County Donegal, Ireland”.
“It has become apparent, moreover, that there is more than one system of orientation: that is to say, that some monuments are oriented for solstitial sunrises or sunsets, or both; some for sunrise or sunset at the Equinoxes; some for sunrise or sunset at a point equidistant in time between solstice and equinox (namely at the beginning of May, August, November, and February); some for the rising or setting of a star, or of the Moon.
The monuments around Lough Swilly appear on investigation to have belonged to all these systems or cults; namely, (1) Solstitial, (2) Equinoctial, (3) “May Year”, (4) Stellar, or possibly Lunar.
Judging by the number and variety of scattered remains of antiquity in the neighbourhood, it would appear as if this region had not only been largely populated in ancient days, but was also highly civilized for the period of the world’s history, as we know it. The undoubted knowledge of astronomy possessed by its inhabitants infers a degree of civilization far beyond what now remains to us of it in the shape of these rude stone structures, though, at the same time, they do not appear to have acquired the art of writing.
The exact reasons for the monuments requiring these particular orientations are not yet thoroughly ascertained; but it may be said with some degree of certainty that they were both calendrical and religious, and that, for instance, the arrival of the sunrise at the two extreme azimuths of the Sun’s declinational path at midsummer and midwinter were moments indicating not only the turn of the year, but were also seasons for religious praise or worship.”
Bearing in mind these respectful words, concerning the much agreeable capabilities of the people of this area, and the time regarding the erection of the Grianán, the question surrounding the placing of the monument at such precarious position, seemingly found its answer. Whatever purpose its builders assigned to the monument, it was aligned with the movements of “the sun, the moon and the stars” as well as to other monuments on the hilltops surrounding it.
One more thought occurred to me. When the circular building was erected, at a so far unknown time, the requirement of stones would have been enormous. There are no traces of quarrying such amount of stones directly on the hill. The only thinkable possibility would be a small hillock attached to the southern slope. I have to walk it again and look for traces of quarrying but I seriously doubt that a large quantity of stones could have come from there.
So, were did the stones come from? And why was such tremendous effort made to transport them, painfully slow and backbreaking, to the summit of this hill? As Dr. Bernard restored Grianán he used “700 or 800 loose stones” and “split from the adjoining rocks … 181 coping-stones”, and he noted that moving stones off the hill alone, “would be a work of supererogation, as well as much injury to horses, carts, and harness, and at best these are not, and I believe never were, well adapted for the severe work experienced in ascending and descending a rough stony uncultivated hill.” It is also reasonable to conclude that a fortified royal palace would have necessitated more building material than, lets say for arguments sake, a temple. But such amount of stones, worked or un-worked, has never been found. It is unrealistic to believe for one moment that Murtagh O’Brien in 1101 made his men carrying with them “for every sack of provision” a stone of “Oileach” “On the horses of the king of the West.” (Annals of the Four Masters, Vol. 2). Not only for the above mentioned reason, but I also can not imagine for the live of me anyone, who just raided Derry and Inishowen with its monasteries and other riches, to fill his spoils and torture his horse with a rather large stone, knowing that there will be plenty at home. As to the notion that the stones where removed by locals, the same consideration applies and Dr. Bernard wrote: “The men themselves ridicule the idea of stones having been removed for building purpose, as they have more than once remarked, that they have already too many stones on and about their farms. Another proof – quarries are on every hill-side in the neighbourhood.”
Since the publication of Colby’s Ordnance Survey in 1837 there has been much twisting and turning of incompatible facts to craft this monument into a royal palace. And I am glad to see that this opinion, held for far to long, is now crumbling and so, opening a door to the past of this always magnificent hill.
Many thanks to the resident gentleman, who found me balancing my way down and gave me a lift back to the car. Without his help, I would not have been in time for work.
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From the appendix of Maghtochair’s book “Inishowen – Its History, Traditions, And Antiquities”, published in 1867.
A gentleman signing himself “O’Doherty” has taken me to task for stating that Grianan was used as a temple for the worship of the sun. In a series of letters published in the Journal he affirms, on the authority of Dr. Petrie, that the ruins of Grianan are the ruins of Aileach – that is, that Aileach, the royal residence of the Cinel-Eoghain, and Grianan were identical. I subjoin everything tangible in that correspondence, and it will be seen how much Dr. Petrie relies on that very etymology which both he and “O’Doherty” affect to despise. “O’Doherty” says with reference to myself: -
“He says that the remains on the summit of Greenan Hill, in Burt, are the ruins of a temple of the sun, but he does not give us the authority on which this important assertion rests.” He then goes on – “I am aware that the same view was advocated in an interesting and ingenious article by Mr. Peter M’Laughlin, of Newtowncunningham, in the Dublin Penny Journal of 1834 or ‘35, and if I remember rightly, was made by him to rest on the derivation of the word Grianan. The opinion of that talented and accomplished scholar (whose early death was a serious loss to our local history) was generally adopted, until the publication of the ‘Ordnance Survey of Londonderry,’ when the searching labours of Mr. Petie and the illustrious Dr. O’Donavan dispelled the illusion”.
He quotes Petrie as follows: – “It has, indeed, been supposed by some ingenious writers that this curious remain of antiquity was erected as a temple of the sun – a conjecture resting on the etymology of its name, Grianan, which, as they state, does literally mean ‘the place of the sun,’ or ‘appertaining to the sun.’ ….
“That Grian or the sun was an object of worship among the Pagan Irish is not to be denied, but that the word Grianan was ever applied to denote a temple of the sun, or a temple of any kind, no authority has been as yet adducted or found, while there are abundant evidences that it was constantly used in a figurative * sense, to signify a distinguished residence or a royal palace. It is thus explained by O’Reilly: – ‘Grianan, a summer-house, a walk, arched or covered over on a hill for a commodius prospect (a balcony), a Royal seat.’” But, even though it were allowed that the word Grianan was sometimes applied to a temple of the sun, the Irish authorities still abundantly prove that this – the Grianan of Aileach – was not a monument of that description. In all the Irish histories the palace of the northern Irish kings is designated by the name of Aileach simply or Grianan-Aileach, Aileach-Neid, or Aileach-Fririve; and its situation is stated to have been on a hill in the vicinity of Derry. …..
This name Aileach was also applied to the surrounding country, anciently called Tyr Ailig, or the country of Aileach, but now preserved only in two adjacent + townlands, called Elaghmore and Elaghbeg, or the Great and Little Elagh.
All doubt of the identity of Grianan Fort and the ancient palace is, however, removed by the following passage in a poem on the history of the Tuatha-De-Denauns, composed by Flann of the monastery – that is, of Monasterboice – in the commencement of the 11th century, and preserved in the Books of Lecan and Ballymote: -
“Fell on the eastern shore,
At the very side of the rath of Aileach,
Indai More, the son of Delwy Lib (the Lybian?),
By Gann, the son of Dera, of the white hand.”
It is certain that the words eastern shore, here used, could only be applied to that of Lough Swilly, which approaches the foot of the hill at that point only. The present castle of Elagh is some miles from any shore. ++ A further evidence of this identity is furnished by a description of the royal fortress, preserved in the Dinnseanchus – an Irish topographical work of very high antiquity, if not, as Dr. O’Connor states, the earliest treatise of the kind which any country now possesses.”
——————————————————————————————
* I have italicised the word figurative.
+ These townlands are nearly three miles distant from Grianan.
++ This is incorrect.
In reply to this I wrote and quoted the first eight lines of that poem, the Dinnseanchus, as follows: -
“Oileach Fredreann, seat of the kings royal of the world;
Dun, through which ran roads under heroes, through five ramparts:
Hill on which slept the Dagda; red its flowers,
Manyits houses, just its plunders, scarce its stones;
Lofty Caislen is Ailech Frigrenn, fort of the good man,
Dun, the shelter of heroes, Noble lime house,
Delightful place is Oilech Gabran, green its bushes.
Sod, where placed the Dagda, the resting mound of Aedh.”
Now Petrie himself says that the stones of this building on the hill were wholly uncemented, and I fear the parts of the description which I have italicised will scarcely apply to it. In answer to this O’Doherty wrote, saying the words “Noble lime house,” in one edition of the Ordnance Memoir, were converted into “Noble stone house” in another edition. The Irish words in the poem are “aeilteach emir,” and I confess I know not how they can be translated “Noble stone house.” I quite agree that the structure was ante-Christian, but deny that all the buildings of the De-Dananns were constructed of stones; their temples indeed were; their dwellings were not. Referring to this amended edition of the Survey, O’Doherty says: -
“In it the translation of the poem in the Dinnseanchus differs considerably from the translation in the first edition. Thus we have
‘Dun, place of shelter of heroes, noble stone house,’
instead of ‘noble lime house,’ which latter phrase would have been entirely against Dr. Petrie. * He had been arguing that the ruin on Greenan was the Grianan-Aileach of historic fame, because Grianan meant ‘a royal seat,’ and Aileach, ’stone house or habitation’; he had confidently referred its erection to the Tuatha-De-Dannanus, the chief characteristic of whose buildings was that they were constructed of stones (not of clay or timber) and that these stones were ‘wholly uncemented,’ and in confirmation of what he has said he quotes the poem referred to, which treats of the very place there is question about. The use of lime in building was not introduced into Ireland until after the introduction of Christianity, and as this edifice
——————————————————————————————
* For or against let us have the true translation of those words “aeilteach emir.”
was constructed without lime or cement, Dr. Petrie concludes that it existed before the Christian era. In his ‘Round Towers’ Dr. Petrie treats the subject of the buildings of the Firbolgs and Tuatha-De-Dananus at length, and some interesting information may be had on the point from ‘Madden’s Shrines and Sepulchres,’ vol. I., chap. 20. The opening stanza of the poem prove another point for our antiquarian – viz., the existence of five ramparts. The relative position of these he carefully indicates.
“Your correspondent, however, seems to think that a difficulty arises from the words ‘green its bushes.’ If we look at Greenan as it is now, that is quite true; but it is not as it now is, but it is then was, that we are considering it. Walker in his ‘Irish Bards,’ tells us that one of these colleges was in Inishowen, and that the whole face of the peninsula was then covered with trees. Later still, Mr. Sampson tells us this district was called ‘Daircoillragh,’ that is, the country of the oaks. The ancient chieftains of the western bank, including the peninsula of Inishowen, were called Hy-daher-teagh, that is, chiefs of the habitations of the oaks; this name is now spelled and pronounced O’Doherty.’ – (Sampson’s Survey, chap. V., sec. 27.) It is at present destitute of trees, but so are the other hills and mountains – and I might add the lowlands – of the barony.”
In a third letter O’Doherty says: – “As regards the extract from Colonel Blacker, I will merely say that it is both specious and ingenious, but entirely fanciful, and unsupported by any historical evidence. I do not mean to depreciate the Colonel’s labours, nor to deny that we owe him much for first drawing attention to the venerable pile, but I don’t think I am bound to adopt a man’s opinions when mistaken, simply because he happens to be perfectly sincere and correct on other point.”
But coming back to Aileach itself, as noticed in the second edition of the Ordnance Memoir, Dr. Petrie says: – “The signification of this name – Aileach – independently of its attendant epithets, is obviously ’stone house, or habitation’; and it is so explained by Michael O’Clery, the chief of the Four Masters, in his Glossary of ancient Irish words – Aileach, or Ailteach, i.e., a name for a habitation, which (name) was given from stones. * This derivation of the word is strictly borne out by the Dinnseanchus, in its history of the name of Aileach. After stating that Corgeann, in punishment of his crime, was sentenced to carry on his back the dead body of his victim until he should find a fitting stone for his tomb, the poem states that he (Corgeann) ’soon reached the promontory of the bright lake of Febhal,’ where he found what he required,” Then (I quote from the first edition of the poem) -
“When Corgeann saw the stone of Febhal he soon sized it,
And carried it with him, tho’ a heavy load.
He told the Dagda truly without boasting -
‘There is the stone outside, O restrainer of pride!’
The Dagda said, with countenance of protection – “Truly
The houses and the place shall take name from this stone.’
‘Aileach shall be the name of this town of Banba (Ireland).
Beyond every hill like the hill of great Temur,’ said Dagda’s Druid.”
In a poem of Farrell Oge Mac Ward ( who lived in 1655), addressed to Calvagh Roe O’Donnell, and which was found in manuscipt by Mr. Eugene O’Curry, in the papers of the Rev. Dr. Todd, F.T.C.D., it is said that the coming of O’Donnell was long predicted and expected at Emania, at Tara, at Aileach. Of the latter it says: -
“Nor was Aileach Neid, too, less expectant
Of one like thee to arise unto her
Hoping thou wouldst relieve her anguish.”
&c., &c., &c.
In a footnote the illustrious Dr. O’ Donovan explains the locality of Aileach those: – “Aileach Neid – Now ELAGH, one of the ancient palaces of Ulster.” This very formal explanation from Dr. O’Donovan should have much weight.
___________________________________________________________________
* Oileag-Neid or Nead was the primitive name, which clearly enough implies “Swan’s-Nest.”
THE END
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A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF AN ANCIENT BUILDING, SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN A TEMPLE OF THE SUN, OR GREENAN MOUNTAIN, DONEGAL
Londonderry, December, 1834.
SIR – in the account of Burt Castle, No. 64, Vol. II. of your interesting miscellany, there is a brief allusion to a Temple of the Sun on Greenan mountain in that neighbourhood. The ingenious author of that very accurate account, was not aware, I am sure, of the excistence of a very particular and minute description of that highly interesting remnant of antiquity, written by a very elegant scholar and gentleman of much antiquarian research, particularly in matters connected with Ireland, Colonel Blacker. The detail is given in a letter addressed to that very respected relate, the Hon. Dr. Knox, the late bishop of this diocess. A few copies only were printed, for private circulation among the friends of the writer. One of these I was fortunate enough to procure; and considering it well suited to the purpose of your Journal, request your acceptance of it, and remain, your obedient servant,
G.H.
To the Editor of the Dublin Penny Journal.
My Lord – If your antiquarian research keeps pace with your taste in modern improvements, I know of none to whom I could with greater propriety address the following observations. But however this may be, your Lordship has an official claim to priority of information on the subject of any ecclesiastical remains discovered within the range of your diocess.
The epithet “ecclesiastical” may sound strange when applied to scenes of Pagan adoration; but your Lordship cannot be aware that it is made use of by Giraldus Cambrensis, when speaking of those round towers, which, together with the Arenæ of sun-worship (one of which I am about to describe), serve to establish, in my humble opinion, the Eastern origin and habits of Ireland’s early inhabitants.
The mountain of Greenan, in the county of Donegal, rises from the southern shore of Lough Swilly, immediately in rear of the island of Inch, from which it is separated by a channel of no great breadth, and, in one part, passable at low water for cattle, &c. The ascent, for about a mile, is tolerable gradual, till, within a few hundred yards of the summit, it, as it were, starts up somewhat precipitously into a circular apex of many acres in extent, crowned by the pile which I have just mentioned my intention of attempting a description of.
That this spot was, in former days, consecrated to the purpose of sun-worship, is sufficiently evident from its name: Greenan, or, more correctly, Grian-an, signifying, literally, “the place of the sun,” or “appertaining to the sun.”
To the casual observer, the first appearance of the edifice is that of a truncated cairn of extraordinary dimensions; but on closer inspection, particularly since the clearing away of fallen stones, &c. which took place under my directions, in May last, it will be found a building, constructed with every attention to masonic regularity, both in design and workmanship. A circular wall, of considerable thickness, encloses an area of eighty-two feet in diameter. Judging from the number of stones which have fallen on every side, so as to form, in fact, a sloping glacis of ten or twelve feet broad all around it, this wall must have been of considerable height – probably from ten to twelve feet – but its thickness varies: that portion of it, extending from north to south, and embracing the western half of the circle, being but ten or eleven feet, whereas, in the corresponding, or eastern half, the thickness increases to sixteen or seventeen, particularly at the entrance. To discover this entrance was one of the first objects of my attention, and having directed a clearance to be made as nearly due east as possible, a passage was found, in breadth about four feet, flagged at the bottom with flat stones, equal in width to the opening itself, and fitted with great regularity: this passage was covered with flags of very large dimensions, which, however, we found fallen in; the main lintel, on the inner side, was formed of a single stone, six feet three inches in length, and averaging fourteen inches square in thickness. Within the wall, to the right and left of this entrance (though not communicating with it), are carried two curious passages, about two feet wide by four in height, neatly covered at the top with flags, in the same manner as the entrance. These passages extend through half the circumference of the building, terminating at the northern and southern points: that running southward was found communicate with the area, or interior of the place, by an aperture extremely disproportioned to the passage itself, being merely wide enough to permit the entrance of a boy; this aperture is due south, and the passage, as it approaches the eastern part of the building, becomes gradually narrow, being not more than six inches wide at its termination, adjoining the entrance. The approach to that gallery or passage, wending northwards, appears to have been from above, there being no signs of an aperture communicating with the area, as in the case of the other passage just mentioned; whereas, on clearing away fallen stones, to the northward of the main entrance within the building, we discovered a staircase, eighteen inches wide, leading from the level of the area to the top of the wall, very similar to those shown in the model of the Staig Fort, near Kenmare, to be seen in the museum of the Dublin Society. This passage extends to the northern point, but, different from the other, it carries its breadth the entire way. On either side of the entrance passage, a few feet within, appears a square niche, or what masons would call a double revéal, of four inches deep: at first sight it seemed as if they had been entrances to the two passages already mentioned, and which had been for some cause built up, but on examination this was found not to be the case; they were evidently formed at the original building of the wall, and I am inclined to think may have served for the purpose of enabling those within to close the passage from above by means of something in the nature of a portcullis. From a careful examination of the wall, in different places throughout its circumferences, it appears to have been parapeted, the space between the parapet and the interior of the circle being (as was usual in amphitheatres) allotted to spectators, and accessible by the stair-case already noticed. In the centre of the area are the remains of the altar, or place of sacrifice, approached from the entrance of the building by a flagged pathway, which was discovered on raising the turf by which it is overgrown: around these are the ruins of a square building, but of comparatively modern construction – in fact, the place was re-sorted to by the Roman Catholics in the vicinity, for the purpose of worship, until some forty years back, when a small chapel for their accommodation was erected at the foot of the mountain – a certain proof of the traditionary sanctity of the spot. It is well know fact, that the early propagators of Christianity in Ireland were too wise, too good judges of human nature, to expect that men could be induced all at once, and without the possibility of relapse, to abandon forms, to desert, perhaps to destroy fanes hallowed to them, however mistakenly, by a thousand endearing associations: instead, therefore, of insisting upon, or attempting to accomplish anything of the kind, they retained the place of worship, while they changed the object of adoration. Hence we see the Christian Church and the symbol of stonement reared beside the tower of the Guebre. The fane of Baal became the temple of Jehovah. The Milcom of the Ammonite, the Ashtoreth of the Sidonian, gave place to the St. Columb and the Madonna of the Catholic; and for many an age the sacred fire continued to burn unquenched, for a Christian vesta, in St. Bridget of Kildare! The change extended from the hill and the altar to the valley and the fountain, and the poor devotee who tells his beads at the holy well of Fahan, or of Malin, little dreams that his Pagan ancestor held the same spring in equal reverence, under a different name and tutelage. Surely, my Lord, it is not unreasonable to conclude that a place of worship, so considerable as Greenan appears to have been, must have come in for its re-consecration, and continued more or less in the odour of sanctity, until the period I have mentioned.
The stones of which the building is formed are of the common grey schistus, but evidently selected with considerable attention as to size; and considering their exposure to the Atlantic storms for so many centuries, the decomposition is wonderfully small. In those parts of the wall which have been protected by the accumulation of the derbis from above, the chisseling is yet sharp and the squareness perfect. The circumstance of its being a stone building adds considerably to the antiquarian interest which Greenan is calculated to exite; for, with the the exception of the Straig Fort above mentioned, I am not aware of any other similar edifice being discovered in Ireland. Places of Sun-worship abound. Among the most remarkable may be instanced the Moat of Granard (or Grian-ard, the eminence of the sun), in Longford; and Greenmount (or Grian-mont, the mount of the sun), in Louth: the latter of which, situated as it is, close adjoining the most frequented road in Ireland, is passed daily, hourly, by travellers and tourists of all sorts, without exciting an observation. The virtuoso who will “compass sea and Land” to see a few mouldering pillars, once sacred to Jupiter and Minerva, traverses the great Belfast road, wholly unconscious that he is passing almost within the shadow of one of the most perfect remains of Pagan sun-worship which this, or perhaps any other country in Europe exhibits. Both both of these, as well as others of a minor description, are mounds (stupendous ones, certainly) of earth. Any that are of stone are, in point of architectural pretension, little beyond the ordinary cairn; nor do they appear to aim at a higher designation. One of the principal, I believe, exists in Antrim, at no great distance from Templepatrick, and is known by the name of Cairn Graney, or the cairn of the sun.”
I was a good deal surprised to find that the very existence of this building was unknown to so many of my acquaintances in Derry, which it stands within four miles of – and some of whom are persons of research and much historical information; still more was that feeling exited by learning that it had (as far as I have been able to discover) escaped the particular observation of the surveying officers of engineers, who had actually a station on the walls of it: to be sure trigonometrical accuracy is one thing, and antiquarian lore another. In this respect, however, it has only shared the fate of numberless objects of curiosity and interest with which the county of Donegal abounds, but which have remained unexplored, or at least undescribed, until very lately, when my friend, the Rev. C. Otway, gave to the world his highly interesting, as well as delightfully written “Sketches” of some portion of the scenery around Kilmacrenan – to the fidelity of which, in a descriptive point of view, I am enable to bear the fullest testimony. I sincerely wish he had crossed to Swilly to Greenan.
But, to return from this digression, it only remains to be mentioned, that the building was encircled by a double foss, the first about twenty yards from the wall, the second at a like distance beyond the first – both may be distinctly traced throughout the entire of their extent – and the visitor can hardly fail to observe that the turf between the building and the first foss is remarkable for the superiority of its verdure over any portion of the surrounding mountain grass land.
Such, my Lord, is Greenan – a visit to which is of easy accomplishment, and will repay the exertion; for, even putting Antiquarianism out of the question, the view from the place, on a clear day, is one of the finest that can be imagined. The boundless Atlantic – the grand estuaries of Foyle and Swilly – the Alpine scenery of Donegal, from Barnesmore to Birdstown – the basalt cliffs of Magilligan, and a large portion of Derry and Tyrone, are all placed beneath the eye, as in one vast map. To this may be added an additional gratification, if the visitor has the good fortune to be acquainted with a certain worthy friend and connection of mine, whose hospitable mansion lies embowered near the base of the mountain and to whom I am indebted for the assistance and facilities which have enabled me to attempt the foregoing description.
I have the honour to remain your Lordship’s very obedient servant,
W. B.
Carrick, June, 1830.
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It is the one time of the year, when one can indulge after all.
Stubbornly hoping for the light to shine upon an area, much deserved and missing for so long, although, is not just for christmas.
Posted in Do not go gently into that good night | Tagged Grianan Aileach | Leave a Comment »
I went to the end of Inishowen today.
Beyond Grianan and Bogay Hill, where the southern slope of the latter dips into an ancient river valley and the little, that remains, of the lake at Port Lough. Older maps still have a castle located on what was once an island. More academic sources call it a crannog. However, with Mr. Scott Simon’s kind permission, direction and words of caution I entered what was a lake before and very much a bog now. After much unsuccessful struggling through this wilderness, I found myself unable to cross one of the drainage channels, to reach my destination. But thankfully, I was not alone. Shouting across, I made the much needed acquaintance with Mr. Kyle Basil, who pointed me to a crossing. After having reached the other side and without the loss of my wellies, he walked towards me to make sure, that I safely made it. He also led the way to the crannog and pointed out the location of a possible Iron Age rath, only a field above and past the southern border of Inishowen. He also spoke of a ford, a crossing on a narrow point, running from the old shop to the other side with stepping stones laid out. At the crannog I learned that many stones had been removed for wall building and the remains are to such extent overgrown, that some believed, it has sunken into the bog. But a circular shape and a few small breaks in the vegetation, where its man made masonry fights in a last attempt for sheer survival, just about mark the spot. The diameter of the circle is perhaps 4 but no more than 5 metres, and therefore too small for a crannog, never mind a castle, no matter how many stone were removed. the diameter would remain the same. It is more likely that it was, what could be called, a check point, being within sight of the crossing to the west and having the Iron Age rath to its south, which under the circumstances and from my position, can only be descript, as being in enemy territory, and where I went next. It is more than twice the size of the so called crannog and reminds me much of Dundrean Rath. The fields around it have been smoothened over the last centuries but the entrance at the east was still visible amongst the trees and bushes, approximately 1.80 metres wide. It is difficult to say, if the wall was thicker at this point or if it was only a matter of stone piling. The rest of the circular wall seems to be around 1 metre plus thick.
From there I went west to the Old Shop, were I disturbed the entire and extended Fullerton family. Nevertheless, before I could say much, I found myself on their kitchen table with a life saving bowl of soup and news of a tunnel, running underneath the road. As a young lad Mr. John Fullerton went into the tunnel, being able to hear the cars travelling above him and he descript it as being 3½ to 4 ft. wide and high. A house has now been built where the entrance used to be. Having been welcomed, feed and watered on the other side, I returned to Inishowen, crossing, hopefully for the last time, the bog, which gave me a strange sense of excitement, to the fields of Mr. Scott Simon. On their western edge lay, on what appears to be a natural rock outcrop, many stones in a confusing disarray. Many of the stones are very roughly worked, as if done in a hast, but they are mainly flat, indicating strongly the construction of some sort of building . Going with the positioning of it, these remains might be part of Dowrca’s fortification of Inishowen between 1601 and 1608. But I also fund three very small cupmarks in the shape of a triangle on one of the rocks, indicating, that this site has been in use for a very long time. Mr. Simon also told me about the old houses, destroyed some twenty years ago, with windows like gun slots, placing, at least some of the remains, into the time of the Plantation. As the light was fading, I had to leave without inspecting the possible burial ground nor the extent of the site. Just above Mr. Simon’s farm there also used to be an 18th century road to Derry. – I have to come back. Which will be with the greatest appreciation and gratitude of hospitality and care received. As I made my way back through the last field, passing the stones, in need of revisiting, Mr. Simon’s jeep came up from the farm, stopping, and as I reached him, with my car plate number written on his left hand, to give notice to the Gardai, that I must have been lost for good like cattle before me, it very strongly, and again, made it unmistakably clear, that I rely on something special and now rare, which can not be expected necessarily and given excessively with so much kindness and consideration.
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One may be forgiven for feeling trenched in utter astonishment after finding a statement concerning the National monument no. 140, Grianán of Aileach, mentioned in a press release responding to accusations made by the Garda Representative Association against the OPW.
The rather generous spending habits of this state body hit the headlines in Donegal after it was revealed that the OPW paid over 1000 Euros to change three light bulbs in a Garda Station.
It is most certainly beyond the capability of my comprehension, why the OPW felt obliged to add Grianán of Aileach to its attempt of justification. Nevertheless, since public money has been spent for nearly a decade on a public project (National monument) by the Office of Public Works, which earned its members in charge of the monument the nickname ‘The hole in the wall gang’, it would be of vital public interest to see the cost of these ‘conservation works’ and the so far futile attempt to ‘improve the structures future stability’. The 2001 ‘detailed archaeological and engineering investigation ‘, which took a year to carry out and led to concreting a dry stone monument and changing its appearance and shape dramatically, would also require closer investigation as how much was paid to whom. The execution of this investigation has left Grianán of Aileach with a frequent occurrence of collapses and visitors with a closed or partially closed National monument.
Last year at least one meeting between the Inishowen representatives of Donegal County Council and the OPW took place in strange secrecy concerning this issue. I sent each of them before hand information about the recent collapses and asked them to approach the OPW over the expense of their ‘work’ carried out at Grianán so far. I suppose it was somehow a response as in January this year a motion was put forward by one councillor “That Donegal County Council immediately lead up a strategic initiative to maximise the tourism potential of Grianan of Aileach in partnership with the OPW and Duchas and to give An Grianan its place in our national heritage.” All members voted in favour of this motion. Not even one of our gallant politicians had any knowledge of the abolition of the state body Duchas in 2003.
PS: The unexpected inclusion of Grianán in a response to the Garda Representative Association is a copy and past exercise. They never could spell lintels (‘lintols‘)
The link to the OPW website may not be there for long. It has a history of disappearing information.
Gardai call for end to ‘disastrous’ OPW
By Tom Brady
Wednesday April 29 2009
Gardai have called for the abolition of the Office of Public Works (OPW), which they describe as an unmitigated disaster.
Rank and file members of the force yesterday accused the OPW of “blundering incompetence”, leaving thousands of gardai in diabolical working conditions, in overcrowded and inappropriate buildings.
The savage attack on the Government body was made at the GRA conference in Killarney yesterday, where GRA president Michael O’Boyce demanded action from Justice Minister Dermot Ahern.
He called on the minister to bring a proposal to abolish the OPW, or at the very least remove it from any involvement in garda accommodation.
Mr O’Boyce said the OPW had failed to future-proof garda stations, with many being too small. And he alleged that the body squandered public money with no concept of value.
He said that a contractor had offered to refurbish the gym in Letterkenny Garda Station at a cost of €5,000 but when the OPW took charge, the cost became €15,000. Mr O’Boyce also claimed that it cost €1,100 to replace three light bulbs.
The allegations were rejected by the OPW, whose spokesman said he was surprised and disappointed.
- Tom Brady
OPW Response to GRA Statements April 28 2009
PRESS RELEASE
OPW RESPONSE TO STATEMENTS BY THE GARDA REPRESENTATIVE ASSOCATION
The OPW is surprised and disappointed to hear the statements made by Mr. Michael O’Boyce, President of the Garda Representative Association (GRA) regarding the work of the OPW. The OPW has always had an excellent working
relationship with the Garda Authorities and the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform.
The GRA in their statement highlighted a small number of specific examples, which they claim is indicative of the work that OPW undertake. These four examples, when put into the context of managing over seven hundred Garda Stations throughout the country and other Garda facilities such as Garda Headquarters, Templemore Garda Training College, Harcourt Terrace etc., would appear relatively trivial. The facts below speak for themselves. OPW is at all times conscious of obtaining maximum value for money for the State
OPW has undertaken a very successful Garda Building Programme in recent years. Since 1995, some €219m has been spent by OPW providing new Garda accommodation including Templemore Garda College and carrying out major extensions and refurbishments to existing Garda Stations. From 2004 to 2008 alone over €136m has been spent on major capital works.
It is alleged by the GRA that OPW has failed to ‘future proof’ new Garda Stations in that many are too small when opened. The design of any Garda Station is based on a brief of requirements provided by An Garda Síochána in the first instance. Occasionally, due to Garda operational requirements, it can be the case that between the award of a construction contract and final completion additional facilities may be required. This is more the exception than the rule.
The facts relating to the examples given by the GRA are:
· Letterkenny Garda Station – Refurbishment of Gym.
The GRA have chosen to extract one item from the overall quotation and are not comparing like for like in their statement. The actual electrical costs alone which were associated with the project, was €10,366.18 excl. VAT. This was a necessary part of the work involved but was not captured in the quotation sourced by the Garda.
· Ballinhassig Garda Station
The statement quoted is inaccurate on two counts:
1. the work involved is for a new shower unit and a new kitchen fit-out, with associated services to provide these facilities
2. the estimate provided was €14,000 excl. VAT (€15,890.00 incl. VAT) for both elements.
This estimate was provided on 21/07/08. We await approval to proceed and the works have not been undertaken.
· Churchill Garda Station
OPW currently have a publicly procured ‘drawdown’ contract for floor coverings, which is at the disposal of all Government Departments and used extensively by An Garda Síochána funded through Garda Procurement Division.
In January 2009, Churchill GS was one of a number of stations in Donegal identified in need of such materials. The cost of €4,050.00 (incl.VAT) included marmoleum, safety floor, stair nosings and sheeting of floors in preparation for floor covering. It should be noted that OPW had no direct involvement at any stage in the processing of this request. This was handled directly between local Garda personnel and the nominated “draw down” contractor.
· Grianan Aileach – National Monument No.140
Pre OPW condition of the site:
A detailed illustrated description of the site can be found in the Ordnance Survey Memoirs of 1837. The remains of the original structure were in a totally collapsed state with the surviving stonework scattered around the hilltop. Between 1874 and 1878, a local expert undertook a rebuilding project on the site of Grianan Aileach. His excavations appear to have revealed the remains of small collapsed sections of the lower level of the outer wall. In the absence of further archaeological evidence for its original appearance, he modelled his rebuild on the relatively intact Staigue Iron Age Fort in County Kerry. (Proceedings of the Royal
Irish Academy Vol1 1879)
History of collapse and the need for a more permanent repair method:
When the site came into State Care approximately thirty years later the restored walls were already in a dilapidated state with extensive collapse of the outer stonework. (76TH annual Report of Commissioners of Public Works 1907/08) Despite OPW efforts to carry out patch repair work to the monument over the next 80 years, OPW files show that the work conducted in
the 1870s was unstable and collapse was reoccurring on a regular basis. In 1989, following another major collapse and short term patch repair work, OPW undertook to monitor the condition of the monument and investigate intervention methods which could stabilise the structure.
Present OPW conservation effort:
In 2001 a detailed archaeological and engineering investigation was undertaken which revealed sections of the line of the disturbed ancient pre-restoration structure and confirmed the shape and outline of work undertaken in the 1870s. Because of the significant amenity value of the restored monument OPW considered that it would not be appropriate or feasible to dismantle and remove the restored stonework and to leave the site in its pre-restoration collapsed state. The engineer recommended that the bulging sections of walling which were liable to collapse should be dismantled and rebuilt. Due to the instability of the underlying surviving stonework, supports were inserted at the base of the rebuilt sections and over the lintols of the internal passageways. All external walling have a central fill which will considerably improve the structures future stability.
The wall tops have been secured in an effort to prevent interference causing stone collapse and the resultant risk to the visitor. The conservation works were completed by January 2008.
The OPW is very proud of the large portfolio of work that it has undertaken on behalf of all our clients, including the Garda Authorities, in the past and continues, despite the current challenging economic climate, to carry out a significant amount of projects in full consultation with our clients’ priorities.
Ends
* For further information contact George Moir, OPW Press Officer, (01) 647 6128 or (087) 231 4537.
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When the day comes, and one more but decisive part of our past will crumble under the higher, bigger, faster grip of our hand, we will fall with it.
After all, the great universe itself will reach eventually the point, where it can expand no further and will implode into the grain of dust, it grew from. And we, great conquerors and champions in waiting against any inconvenience in our presumptuous lives, seem to be in an astonishing hurry to reach this finishing line.
Unsurprisingly, we remain oblivious to the chain of events leading to downfall, since we parcelled our past into preservation by record and a virtual world of animation.
Over the last week holes appeared on the inside wall above the gate. I counted 1 large and 4 smaller ones. It seems that the loose stones have been moved to the entrance of the northern passage. The gate section was rebuilt in 2006 .
I assume that the OPW will fill them with concrete in the next days.
Photos taken May 09, 2009.
Detail 1
Detail 2
Detail 3
Entrance northern passage
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