HISTORY OF THE HILL

The Hill of Allen is situated about four miles to the north west of the town of Newbridge. It is the eastern-most point of the Bog of Allen which extends right across the middle of the country and which is named after the Hill. It is perhaps most famous as the site of the residence of Fionn Mac Cumhaill and the Fianna. (See more in the Myths and Legends section).

According to ancient poems Almhuin (as it was also known) was the site of a splendid palace surrounded by homes of the Fianna. It’s easy to imagine the hill making an impregnable stronghold in the days before artillery, yet it is recorded that the fortress was burned in the third century by Garaidh, son of Morna, Chief of the Furbolg.

The Hill was the site of a battle in 722 AD during which 9,000 died including a bard who, according to legend, continued to recite after he had been beheaded. The cause of the Battle of Allen was the enforcement of the payment of the Borian Tribute which was levied after the death of a daughter of the High King. She died as a result of the cruel treatment of her husband Eochy Aincheann, then King of Leinster.

In later years it is understood that the hill was held by the O’Tooles before the Norman invasion.

“O’Toole of the fortress famous for mead,

Is chief of the valiant tribe of Hy Murray;

As far as Almhuin of melodious music,

Of verdant grassy fertile plains.”

The area surrounding the Hill is almost entirely surrounded by bog and marshes and it was called ‘the Island’, which is a common description of high points in boggy areas. At the northeastern side of the hill, about a quarter of a mile from the summit, is a small hamlet called the ‘leap of Allen’. Local tradition has it that Fionn leaped from the summit to where the Leap now stands – and that a well sprung up where his feet touched the ground.

The Tower

In 1859, a local landlord, Sir Gerald Alymer of Donadea built the tower. It is known as a famine relief project, even though it was built a decade after the famine ended. It is circular with an internal staircase leading to a viewing platform. The names of the workmen, including five women, are inscribed on the steps. It is thought that Alymer was a Latin scholar because of the quotations he has inscribed on the stonework, including ‘Astra Casta’, ‘Sine Cruce Sine Luce’, ‘Numen Lumen’ etc.

The building of the tower on a raised mound unearthed a large stone coffin containing a skeleton that many believe was Fionn. The construction may also have destroyed an ancient earthwork.

Kind Edward VII visited the hill and climbed the tower on September 16, 1861 whilst visiting the Curragh.

In the 1940’s and 1950’s the hill, which was owned by several local farmers was bought for quarrying by the company that was to become known as Roadstone Dublin Ltd. The Hill has been quarried extensively since then and its survival is now threatened as a result.