Cnoc Almaine · County Kildare · Ireland
A Heritage Atlas of the 80 Families
Rising 188 metres above the great Bog of Allen, this ancient hill has watched over the families of Kildare for a thousand years. Each of its 80 steps carries a name — a family whose story is woven into this landscape.
From mythology to modern heritage — seven centuries on one hill
Inside, 82 steps — each carved with a name
Standing 188 metres above the Bog of Allen, Aylmer's Tower carries a unique memorial inside its spiral staircase: the name and townland of every Aylmer estate tenant recorded in Griffith's Valuation of 1851 — cut into limestone, preserved for 170 years.
The Hill of Allen (Cnoc Almaine) is one of the most storied landmarks in County Kildare. Rising steeply from the flat expanse of the Bog of Allen, it was the legendary seat of Fionn Mac Cumhaill and the Fianna in Irish mythology, and has served as a marker of territory, identity, and memory for the surrounding communities for millennia.
Its 82 steps each carry the name of a family historically connected to the hill and the surrounding landscape. This atlas gathers what is known of those families — their townlands, their records, their stories — and places them back into the geography they once inhabited.
Family records, photographs, oral histories, and archival documents can be added to any entry. This atlas is designed to grow: a living record, not a fixed monument.
To contribute records, photographs, or corrections to a family entry, use the contact information held by the project coordinator.