 |
 |
 |
High above
the village of Inverfarigaig there is a large hill fort, which probably
dates back to the Iron Age. The fort was built on the top of Dun Dearduil,
about 925 feet above sea level. It is associated with the legend of
“Deirdre of the Sorrows” and is named after her.
At the beginning of the last century it was excavated and found to
be partly vitrified. This means that some of the stones it had
been built with had melted and become like glass. Originally, the
fort would have been surrounded by a thick stone and timber wall and
there are still traces of a separate enclosure which might have been
used for cattle.
The Fort
On a lonely, towering mountain overlooking Inverfarigaig there stands
an Iron Age hill fort called Dun Dearduil. The fort was built by the
Celts some time around 700BC to protect them from their enemies and
to protect their cattle and families. Inside, the fort would have
been gravely and grassy and there would have been roundhouses with
pens for cattle.
Outside, there would have been a thick dry-stone wall with wooden
palisades on top. There would have been ditches and banks around the
outside of the fort to stop their enemies from getting in.
The fort is called Dun Dearduil because Dun means fort and Dearduil
means Deirdre. Deirdre of the Sorrows and the three sons of Usnach
were meant to have lived near the fort for some of the time they stayed
in Scotland.
|
|
| |
|
