Theories mooted on Dun Ailline day

The recent field trip by the Kilcullen Heritage Group to Dun Ailline heard a number of theories about the ancient Royal site from group leader Des Travers, and also details from the guest experts, Dr Edel Bhreathnach and archeological surveyer Padraic Clancy.



Commenting on the amount of energy and organisation required to build the perimeter wall and ditch, Des Travers suggested that the feat was the equivalent of the time to 'sending a spacecraft to the moon today'.

And he was of the opinion that the population at one time in the region of Dun Ailline may have been of the order of 3,000 people, but the scale of the task was such that others must have been involved.

Edel Bhreathnach, who had earlier in the day given a paper based on the literature through the centuries referring to the royal site, noted that according the laws of the era, all the King's 'free and unfree' were required to give a certain number of days in the year to help in 'public works', which would include perimeter ditch and wall construction as well as possibly roadbuilding.

Padraig Clancy said that the bronze and iron age residents were people who were 'well used to working with earth' and could do the work 'efficiently and quickly'.

And Edel Bhreathnach added that the carrying out of such works was an indication of the 'power or the King'.



Des Travers remarked on the placing of the perimeter structure from a military perspective, noting that it had been built on the 'military shoulder' all round, the place from which there would be the best views down the rest of the hill.

"However, there is no indication that the ditch was ever used for defensive purposes," he said. "And in any case it was too deep to be used for defence. It may have been where the inhabitants slept, because there was no other part of the hill except for the king's structures on the top where it would be possible to rest in comfort."

Reflecting on the geography of the times, Des Travers suggested that the ancient Bog of Allen may then have actually stretched to the foot of Dun Ailline, and that a study of ancient and modern derived placenames could indicate that the land between neighbouring hills like Dun Ailline, Allen, and Old Kilcullen was much more marshy than it is today.

In support of his theory, he noted the placenames east of Old Kilcullen of 'the Black Bog', now part of the Carlow Road, and 'Yellow Bog' further east, still in common use.

He also suggested that the existance of the contour from Dunmurry Hill to Dun Ailline was the reason for the turning of the River Liffey towards the north and eventually being forced to run back into Dublin Bay.



In terms of the relationship between Dun Ailline and other hill settlements, he noted that where one major structure had been built, there was charcoal evidence of many burnings which suggested it might have been the location for signal fires.

"From that point, Tara is in line of sight some 50 kilometres away," he said. "I don't know if it would be possible to actually see Tara from Knockaulin, but it certainly would be possible to see fires lit on each."

Edel Bhreatnach, who has made an extensive study of Tara and its inhabitants, said that in the 'heyday' of the settlements, both would have been ruled by the same people in a 'greater Leinster'.



Brian Byrne.