Featured photo: Spring Equinox by Adam Rory Porter
Visitors hoping to catch a sunset at Grianán of Aileach in Donegal this week have been left disappointed to find the gate closed.
The gate to the ancient fort was recently reinstated after it was stolen in 2020.
While a barrier exists for the car park at the foot of the hill, it’s believed the gate to the fort hadn’t been closed in a decade (with the exception of Covid-19 restrictions).
This week, a visitor said they were dismayed to meet a security guard locking the gate to the fort at 7pm.
Photographers and star gazers often visit the fort to enjoy the panoramic scenery and vast skyscape visible from the hilltop.
With the autumn equinox approaching in September, there is concern that people will not be allowed access to view the phenomenon of the early morning sunlight aligning through the entrance.
The reinstated gate at the entrance to Grianán of Aileach
Bettina Linke, who runs a Facebook page about Grianán of Aileach, has called on the OPW to review their new security arrangement. She said that a gatekeeper was once employed by the OPW to open and close the barrier to vehicles at the foot of the hill. That person has since retired.
Bettina said: “With the gate now getting closed, my great worry is the above-mentioned equinox alignment around September 21. Over the years the glorious golden beam of the rising sun, running through the entire monument at its height, has attracted visitors from all over the world as well as people from other parts of Ireland who travel especially to the Grianan to observe an ancient solar alignment.
“The sunrise, of course, is much earlier than the opening time for the monument at 9am.
“For the last 11 years people were quite content to walk up the hill to see the alignment since they could enter and enjoy it from inside the Grianan.
“The new arrangement by the OPW would leave all those visitors, local and international, very frustrated. It also would be a setback for the Grianan, which slowly but surely is getting the recognition for its outstanding beauty and having its very own ancient alignment.
“I understand that the reason for closing the gate at the Grianan is to protect against nightly acts of vandalism. But in my experience, a monument well visited is less likely to be targeted than one left alone in the dark.”
Cllr Jack Murray has confirmed that the OPW has agreed to meet with Inishowen councillors to discuss the Grianán of Aileach. Access to the fort is set to be among the main topics to be discussed at the meeting in the weeks to come.
