The parish of Gleann Cholm Cille where I am staying is named after the area’s most famous resident, and while the name literally translates to the the glenn of the church dove, it is really the glenn of Colm’s (or Columba as he is known elsewhere) church. St. Colm was a sixth century abbott and missionary who would go on to found churches in Scotland as well. On Saturday, locals and pilgrims from across the country will come here to do the Turas Cholm Cille, a 3 mile loop that connects 15 prehistoric cairns with pagan and Christian markings. Now, before I learned this, I had already hiked nearly every inch of this beautiful glenn. I was especially struck by one cairn with a a cross etched into it about five feet off the ground and a hole bore through the center of that cross. I peeked through and was reminded of a trip I took to Rome last summer. In Rome, on the Aventine Hill, there is a large gate with a keyhole, and if you look through the keyhole when the light is right, you can see the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica. It is a little keyhole, a portal, with which one can view heaven. This rock in Dún na nGall did the same for me.
Days after taking this photo, I learned the lore behind this particular stad on the turas. If you look through the hole while in a state of grace, a local informed me, you will see heaven. While I cannot swear I am living in a state of grace, I did see heaven. After peeking through the rock and seeing that summit, I climbed to the top. Bhí sé foirfe!