The story of Hill of The O'Neill
The hill at Dungannon was the seat of power of the O'Neills, one of Ireland's most powerful Gaelic dynasties, who ruled much of Ulster from roughly the early 14th century to the early 17th. From this hilltop the chiefs administered justice, gathered tribute and launched military campaigns, and new chieftains were inaugurated here in a ceremony that confirmed their lordship.
That long rule ended in 1607 with the Flight of the Earls, when Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, and other Gaelic lords sailed from Ulster into exile in Europe. Their departure cleared the way for the Plantation of Ulster, the organised settlement of the province by English and Scottish colonists, which reshaped land ownership, religion and politics across the north for centuries to come.
Ranfurly House itself is a fine listed Victorian building, a former bank, that now serves as the gateway to this ancient site. Opened as an arts and visitor centre, it pairs a modern exhibition with a reconstructed inauguration stone and a glass viewing tower built on the summit.
Today the hill works as both a heritage attraction and a working arts venue. You get the deep history of the O'Neills and the Plantation indoors, and the same commanding view across Ulster that made the spot worth ruling from in the first place.