Setting all the history and stories aside, dunadd fort has an energy that is nearly palpable at the top. It was home to a fort 2,000 years ago, and a royal power centre of gaelic kings in the 500s to 800s ad. Dunadd fort in the kilmartin glen, argyle scotland travel to ireland. Below the mighty fort site are some extraordinary features carved into the rock. Excavations in the 1980s found the mound was used as a fort more than 2,000 years ago. Mcdougalls novel veil of time, in which a modernday woman is transported back to dunadds heyday in the 8th century. Did the monks of iona obtain their pigments here as they worked on the book of kells. Dunadd fort the heart of argyll tourist information.
My books are based on what archaeology and history tell us about the time and. This spectacular site in kilmartin glen, near lochgilphead, has been occupied since the iron age. The swan maiden characters also visit dunadd, the enigmatic celtic fort in the. Dunadd fort in the kilmartin glen, argyle scotland. Get a history of dunadd fort, a major stronghold and the royal power centre of early medieval gaelic kings. Dunadd was the capital of the kingdom and was the place where its kings. Everything around it is flat and then, there it is. On a flat slab of rock just below the summit a footprint is carved in shallow relief. If we could hold back the soft curtains of time for a few minutes and glimpse the hilltop fort of dunadd as it was about 1,300 years ago, we might witness a ceremony that shaped the history of scotland. Dunadd fort lochgilphead 2020 all you need to know. Below it, the river add, from which the fort gets its name, snakes around in lazy curves through the. Kings of dal riada would come to dunadd if they were under attack. Get a brief look at the seat of gaelic kings at dunadd fort, rising proudly from the great moss visit the site today or contact historic environment scotland for.
Dunadd is a hillfort dating from the iron age and early medieval period in kilmichael glassary. Lecture theatre in the archaeology department, school of history, classics and. Information about and images of dunadd ancient fort on undiscovered scotland. Dunadd fort lochgilphead 2020 all you need to know before. But the site is internationally renowned as a royal power centre of the gaelic kings of dal riata, from about ad 500 to ad 800. The spectacular rocky outcrop of dunadd near kilmartin glen in argyll, one of the most famous historical sites in scotland, has.
The remains of dunadd fort in the kilmartin glen in argyle, scotland rise out of the glen like an old boulder dropped from the heavens. Dunadd hill fort, in argyll, can lay claim to being the foundation stone of the kingdom of the scots. Aerial shots illustrate dunadd fort s advantageous defensive position. Dunadd fort stronghold of dal riada ks2 history bbc. Search the worlds most comprehensive index of fulltext books. The wellpreserved hill fort was a stronghold of dalriada, the kingdom of the scotti and is believed to have been the site where. It was the royal centre of the kingdom of dal riata, whose kings became the kings of scotland and whose people, the gaels, gave scotland its name and gaelic culture. A lumpy hill that is perhaps 4 stories high sitting in a landscape that houses over 300 ancient monuments the largest collection in all of scotland. Unlike the picts to the north and the british celtic tribes to the south, the rulers of argyll were gaelic speakers who had crossed the sea from ireland. Dunadd fort rises proudly from moine mhor the great moss an expanse of bog that carpets the southern end of kilmartin glen. All the features of dunadd, including the footprint, the boar, the well and the tumble down ruins are features of the story, as are the modern farm and cottages. The main a816 lies just a few hundred yards to the east, but if passersby notice anything, it is probably more the small collection of white buildings at the foot of the outcrop. This book describes the results of new excavations at dunadd, the rocky hill on which these early scots built a citadel.
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