On the far side of Binevenagh guarding the Windyhill Road as it descends from the Roe Valley into the flat plain surrounding Coleraine, the Giant’s Sconce or Dun Ceithirn was another important Iron Age Fort. From here there are extensive views across the Antrim Plateau almost all the way to Belfast. The only hill is Slemish Mountan near Ballymena far in the distance. It feels like the edge of the world. The name the fort is supposed to relate to grianan-of-aileach.htmlthe son of a Uliad king and the site was the location of a battle, predicted by St Columba, between the Uliad - the men of Ulster - and the Ciannachta who were based in the Roe Valley in 681AD. Like the more famous Grianan in Co Donegal, this fort is reported to have had very thick walls with a passage down the centre. The walls are now tumbled but the curve of the fortification can still be understood. It is a very atmospheric place, well worth the visit.
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