Out today to the stone circle at Beltony, a couple of miles from Raphoe. It is, of course, the winter solstice. We got there just after half eight. We arrived just behind a teller of tales and just ahead of Kathryn Daily and Stephen. Kathryn has put pics up on Facebook.
On the path up, we passed the remains of a circular structure among the trees on the right. As a child I'd always imagined this to be a round tower. I was disappointed to see it marked on a map as a windmill. But then lo and behold! in the Donegal Annual Volume 1 (1947-1953) there's a note about it being a round tower after all. Still looking for that note - I think it said the tower was used as a scriptorium, a place for copying manuscripts. The tower might also have been useful for keeping an eye on the stone circle and who might be going there.
This little hill is where I grew up, in a house beside where you park your car now before taking the short but steep-ish lane to the circle. This townland is called The Tops. It's a good description of it as a place to spend your early years, but again I was a little disappointed that the townland name wasn't an ancient Irish one linked with the circle. Then a while back I opened the Irish Times and found The Tops mentioned in the 'Words We Use' column from Diarmuid Ó Muirthile. It seems the name comes from 'Tap tineadh', the place where the torches were lit before the procession to the circle. Perfect! Coincidentally, I see that Diarmuid's death in Vienna was reported in the Irish Times exactly a year ago today.
There are many fascinating aspects to the circle and indeed the landscape around it. For instance, what monastery is linked with the round tower? An obvious candidate is the monastery at Raphoe - the town name comes from 'Rath Bhoth', the fortification around the (monk's) huts, as we were taught at school. It's thought these huts were made by monks. But I remembered today that not far from the stone circle there is a townland called Ballymonaster, the land of the monastery. I see that in the same area, known locally as Cloughfin, there's also Kilmonaster Lower, Kilmonaster Middle and Churchminister. Jim Lynch, who taught me at Raphoe NS, is a former principal of St Colmcille NS Cloughfin and writes that the Cistercians had a monastery there with Cearnach as abbot.
Christian settlements were often established close to pagan ones, I suppose for the same reasons that Christian festivals were established to supplant pagan ones. The winter solstice rituals gave way to Christmas. This concentration of Christian settlement around Beltony stone circle suggests it was an important place. We all search for significance in our lives. Patrick Kavanagh poked fun at our fond imaginings in his poem 'Epic' -
I have lived in important places, times
When great events were decided : who owned
That half a rood of rock, a no-man's land
Surrounded by our pitchfork-armed claims
However the Tops and Beltony just keep delivering the goods. In his book published in 2006, 'Cenél Conaill and the Donegal Kingdoms AD 500 - 800', Brian Lacey persuasively argues that this part of East Donegal was the homeland of a powerful clan, the Cenél Conaill. This clan began to make a 'national' impact from their "small but economically rich territory in Mag nItha" in the sixth century. According to this analysis, the clan supplied at least five high kings of Tara. Two, and possibly three, of these Cenél Conaill kings of Tara "were the first to be described in the ancient sources with the rare title of 'King of Ireland', however exaggerated that was" (p322).
There was no sun to be seen at sunrise this morning. But when you were looking across in vain towards Croaghan Hill you were surveying the home ground of the Cenél Conaill and your feet were firmly planted in historic Irish landscape.
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By coincidence last night I found myself at a 'Celtic Banquet' at the Grianan of Aileach Hotel in Burt. Brian Lacey reckons that the great hillfort Grianan of Aileach symbolises the transfer of power away from Cenél Conaill to the Cenél nÉogain after the battle of Clóiteach in 789. Brian suggests that Cenél nÉogain chief Áed may have celebrated his victory over Cenél Conaill by building the Grianan of Aileach - "as a visible reminder of who ruled, the monument could be seen from a great many parts of that kingdom". The Cenél nÉogain, who gave their name to Inishowen, then became big cheeses in Ireland. The Cenél Conaill was practically written out of the annals in what Brian likens to"a sort of Stalinization". History is written by the victors. But as recent resident of Fahan, that historic Inishowen spot, I also claim Cenél nÉogain connections!
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