18/03/2023
Less than an hourโs drive from 12A Oban, explore Scotlandโs ancient past ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ณ๓ ฃ๓ ด๓ ฟ๐
Today is St Patrick's Day, so in honour of our Irish cousins, I'm going to share the location that, in my opinion, ties us together the most.
This giant lump rising out of the Great Moss is Dunadd Fort - the heart of the Gaelic Kingdom of Dร l Riata.
The hillfort stands proudly over Kilmartin Glen, where we find a vast collection of Neothilic and Bronze Age monuments. Gazing out from the summit, there are around 800 sites within a few miles from rock art to burial cairns and huge standing stones. Enough to keep you very busy exploring.
While Dunadd was occupied for over 2000 years, it seems to have reached the height of its power around 500AD. From here, a vast Kingdom was ruled, reaching up the islands, through Argyll and all the way across the Irish Sea.
That's the reason Scotland and Ireland have such a strong connection and shared Gaelic culture, with beliefs and traditions travelling back and forwards freely until Dร l Riata split up. The eastern side merged with the Picts to eventually become what we know as Scotland today, with their culture and language becoming dominant.
You're probably wondering about the footprint in the picture, nothing gets the imagination going quite as much as that. Carved into the rock atop Dunadd, all we really have is speculation, but it's become known as an inauguration place for the Kings of Dร l Riata.
It's not hard to imagine the coronation process. A new King making his way slowly up Dunadd, with representatives from all across Dร l Riata in attendance. As he ceremoniously placed his foot in the carving, he was connected both with his ancestors and the land.
Gazing over the vast territory laid before them, everything the light touched was their kingdom.
If you're going to visit, then I'd recommend climbing the ramparts early morning like I did to get the place to yourself and let the imagination run wild!
