The Hallow Hill

Our local Kildare County Council made an ambitious effort to revive awareness in Ireland’s  cultural past while designing a €40m People’s Park at Kerdiffstown, near Naas.

On the top of a gently sloping ‘hill’ are 18 carved stones by artist and stone carver James Winnett. Stone by stone they narrate a tale revolving around local historical sites and people. The artist said, ‘I’ve always been interested in the way stories reside in a landscape and in the role that carved stones can play in promoting moments of curiosity and connection’.

He wanted to continue the tradition depicted by the medieval high crosses in nearby Moone, Old Kilcullen and Castledermot. 

The stones tell the imagined tale of Brigid (of Kildare) and Fionn MacCumhaill (of the nearby Hill of Allen) in pursuit of a Giant who threatens to destroy the environment with stolen fire. On their journey they pass local landmarks such as Croghan Hill, Uisneach, the Curragh and Dun Ailline, each with a story of mythic events. Their search ends in a climatic struggle with the Giant in the ‘Hallow Hill’.

When I visited Kerdiffstown hill I had difficulty following the narrative as it is almost impossible to make out details on a stone carving if the sun is not shining directly on it.

I looked up the internet to discover their message and was amazed at the amount of information and symbols packed into them. An interpretive centre is needed to alert visitors to the background stories.

One of the surprises is the actual hill itself. No wonder it is called the ‘Hallow Hill’. It is part of an artificial landfill that has been transformed using sustainable techniques to create a public park with sports pitches, walking trails, a playground,  green space -- and the sizeable mound on which the ‘Stones of the Hollow Hill’ stand.

The mound itself features in the story as a sídhe, a mysterious subterranean Otherworld that is home to Kerdiff the Giant and where the final struggle takes place. It is a nice reminder that in 2011 a fire broke out inside the hill that took a month to extinguish.  So maybe Kerdiff the Giant is still alive inside.

Go to Kerdiffstown.  Your curiosity will be awakened and hopefully you will go on to visit the nearby places mentioned in the story, check their history and relive the past.