Handcrafted Grianan on the Hill, Co. Donegal

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Mini Inish
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Handcrafted plasterwork Grianan of Aileach with St Patrick’s Well on the Hill. Dimensions approx 5″ length, 3″ high. 3 dimensional piece, able to be displayed in 360 degrees! More a representation than my usual replication approach to heritage, I thought this fun little piece would make a delightful talking point on any table, or even a beautiful bookstop. This piece is based on the stunning Grianan of Aileach and the hilltop on which it sits overlooking Inch Island and the Inishowen Peninsula, with its winding ascending road, and not forgetting Saint Patrick’s Well on the hillside, site of many a wish and prayer down through the centuries. Legend has it that Saint Patrick himself blessed this well! It would be a fair bet that this is likely the smallest Grianan anywhere, complete with stairways, levels and even the tunnels visible in the interior! I loved creating this piece and I hope that you’ll love having it your home.

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K15 Stone, handcrafted, handpainted. Dimensions: 6" length, 4" high, 2" deep. K15 is situated in the Stone Age passage Tomb at Knowth, which alongside Dowth and Newgrange form the principle Bru Na Boinne UNESCO World Heritage Site. Knowth is the largest of the three, with a raised mound over 40ft High and featuring two passages along an East/West line. K15 is found within the Tomb and has been dated at 4900 years old. K15 is widely known as 'The Sundial Stone' primarily due to the highly intricate, precise astronomical carvings on its face. Some have speculated that it forms a primitive calendar, with etchings and markers that align to the 16 months of the Neolithic annum. An experiment carried out over one full year on a replicated model, however, strongly suggests that it functioned as a highly sophisticated Sundial, with a vertical East declining dial. The Summer Equinox and Winter Solstice are particularly heavily inscribed. The astronomical alignment of this wondrous artefact is without doubt, though its true intention remains a mystery. If it is a genuine Sundial, it will prove to be the world's oldest, with the previous record holder being found in Egypt and dated at a comparatively youthful 1700 years old.
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Mini Inish
The piece dimensions are: approx 3.5″ high/ 6″ across. 3 dimensional piece which can be displayed in all 360 degrees. The beautiful Kilclooney dolmen in West Donegal dates from c.3500 BC. Its impressive capstone measures 13-feet wide, 20-feet long and stands over six feet high. This makes it one of the largest and heaviest examples in Europe weighing in at over 100 tonnes! The massive capstone looks different from every angle and some say it resembles a bird taking to flight, a whale, a dolphin, and even an alligator. The lower end of the capstone is unusually supported by an extra back stone which is believed to have been built into the design to allow extra light to shine into the tomb. There is a court tomb nearby and a smaller dolmen which has partly collapsed. This area of ardara in Donegal is Ireland at its most magical. To view more pieces please visit our store at Mini Inish
Kilclooney Dolmen, Ardara, Co. Donegal
€60.00
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Finecast plasterwork Burt Castle atop an Inishowen Coastline base. Dimensions: 7″ X 7″ X 3″. Tabletop ornamental piece. Burt Castle, also known as O’Doherty’s Castle, was constructed between 1560 and 1580. It was a traditional stronghold of the O’Doherty’s during the reign of Henry VIII, overlooking and protecting the Southern edge of their Inishowen Lordship. The castle’s design is typical of the Scottish Z-Plan fortification structure, a defensive design that would be replicated during the Ulster Plantation in the following century. In 1600, while Cahir O’Doherty was in allegiance to the Crown, there was a garrison of 100 men stationed in the castle under the captainship of John Vaughan. This aided the Derry Governor, Henry Dowcra, to strengthen an offensive position against Red Hugh O’Donnell during the Nine Years War. O’Doherty, however, fell out of favour with Dowcra and Burt Castle became O’Doherty’s headquarters, from where he orchestrated and carried out the Burning of Derry on April 19th, 1608, sacking the entire town and taking prisoners to be held at the castle. Thus began what became known as O’Doherty’s Rebellion, resulting in Crown troops being sent from Dublin to quell the unrest in Inishowen and overrun Cahir’s positions. Burt Castle fell to the Crown following a violent siege and O’Doherty was killed shortly afterwards while fighting Crown Forces in the Battle of Kilmacrennen, he was 21 years old at the time of his death. His severed head was displayed for a time at Newgate, Dublin, as a warning to potential avengers. The castle was also the site of violent skirmishes during the Williamite Wars between 1688-1691 and as with most Irish castles, Burt is said to be haunted. It is said that an O’Doherty Nobleman who lived in the castle seduced a young local woman and forsook her upon news of her pregnancy. She waded into the Swilly one moonlit night and drowned herself and her unborn child, so distraught was she at this rejection. It is said that she can be seen on moonlit nights, walking the shores of the Swilly near to the Castle, wailing in despair for her estranged lover and father of her child. Burt Castle now sits atop an eminence known as Castlehill, a silent, dilapidated sentinel overlooking the main Derry to Letterkenny road, making it one of Donegal’s most recognizable fortifications.
Burt Castle, Inishowen, Co. Donegal.
€60.00
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