Dun Aonghasa

Irish and Celtic myths and legends, Irish folklore and Irish fairy tales and Legendary Places in Ireland

The breathtaking fortress of Dún Aonghasa, perched on the edge of a steep cliff

Dún Aonghasa means "the Fort of Aonghasa", and remains one of the most impressive ancient monuments in Ireland, Europe or the world. Perched on the edge of a high and jagged cliff with the grey-green waters of the Atlantic battering below, it gained its name from its original builders, who were called the Fir Bolg, some of the first to arrive in Ireland and who strove mightily with the Tuatha de Dannan at Moy Tura.

"The Fir Bolg gave them battle upon Mag Tuired; they were a long time fighting that battle. At last it broke against the Fir Bolg, and the slaughter pressed northward, and a hundred thousand of them were slain... The Fir Bolg fell in that battle all but a few, and they went out of Ireland in flight from the Tuatha Dé Dannan...

Thereafter they came in flight before Cairbre under the protection of Medb and Ailill, and these gave them lands. This is the wandering of the sons of Umor. Oengus son of Umor was king over them in the east, and from them are named those territories, Loch Cime from Cime Four-Heads son of Umor, the Point of Taman in Medraige from Taman son of Umor, the Fort of Oengus in Ara from Oengus, the Stone-heap of Conall in Aidne from Conall, Mag Adair from Adar, Mag Asail from Asal in Mumu also. Menn son of Umor was the poet. They were in fortresses and in islands of the sea around Ireland in that wise, till Cu Chulaind overwhelmed them."

After the Fir Bolg it was reputed to have become the last refuge of the feared Fomorian sea demons as well.

Dún Aonghasa is the mightiest and most powerful of all the prehistoric stone forts of the Aran Islands. It stands today a great circle cut in two on the edge of towering cliffs, and it is likely to have once been a completely circular fort or building before erosion toppled it piece by piece into the Manannan's white-toothed jaws snapping far below.

Some archaeologists date it at well over three thousand years old, although it is difficult to be certain on such rocky terrain. It could be even older. Bronze Age and Iron Age items aplenty have been found within and around the Dún, such as rings, beads, and the remains of food, as well as evidence of ancient metalworking. Houses and burials are also dotted around nearby.

Outside the looming cyclopean fortification of the central drystone walls is a circle of jagged stones, a chevaux-de-fris which would in medieval times have been used to break up and disrupt cavalry charges. So well designed and jagged is this ancient minefield that it would be very difficult even for armoured footsoldiers to clamber over it, and even now the edges of the stones are sharp and you could do yourself a severe injury by falling atop one. Attackers would have been easy prey for archers, slingers and spearmen atop the walls or firing through arrow slits.

Originally the fortress gate was to the north and the main entrances through the outer and middle walls still face northwards. Today people can enter through a breach in the outer wall, but the older entrance is still visible. The gates were made of stout wood and had a sudden drop inside the threshold, perhaps designed to trip any unwanted visitors.

The Dún was clearly designed for both defence and as an expression of raw power. It overlooks much of the surrounding countryside, leaving no doubt about who was the master of the island, and perhaps acted as a watchtower for invaders, traders or raiders. There are in total three circular walls, one around the other, and the central enclosure may have once been a mighty roofed hall.

It is estimated that even if the original fortress consisted only of simple walls, it would have taken over six and a half thousand tons of cut stone to fully construct, which tells a tale of a strong culture and an advanced society well able to work together to achieve mighty works.

At the very heart of the ancient stronghold is a giant square stone slab, almost pefectly level platform which might have served as a foundation for a central column or pillar. Some scholars suggest that the platform overlooking the vast Atlantic ocean may have had a later ritual significance. A hoard of four bronze rings were buried beside it, perhaps as an offering or someone trying to hide valuable items, or even just left behind and forgotten by smiths.

A large hearth to one side of the inner complex seems to have been the site of communal feasting and the casting of bronze weapons and tools. Perhaps during the early Bronze Age those who knew the secrets of casting the gleaming golden metal were seen as grim sorcerers or priests who held the key to the rise and fall of kings and dynasties.

As well as beef, pork and barley, the Bronze Age Irish who built and occupied this fastness ate an enormous amount of shellfish - almost eight tons of limpet shells were recovered from the excavations - as well as fish. Curiously, many of the tools found in the locality were made of stone, perhaps indicating a community isolated from the rest of the country, or even holdovers from Neolithic groups who brought their skills with them to the Dún.

Clothes were made of wool or leather and fixed in place with pins, although the diverse range of needles found demonstrate that the Bronze Age occupants used many different materials.

The fortress was most active around 800 BC, in the midst of the Iron Age, the time of the Gaels and the Druids. It would have been the economic and political centre for one particular tribe, the leaders of whom would have occupied the Dún.

In the centuries after Dún Aonghasa fell into disuse, various houses and other buildings were constructed inside the inner enclosure, with paved floors and stone hearths. A stone trough outside the door of one of the houses was most likely used to store water, keep shellfish fresh, or to boil meat.

Various attempts were made to refortify and rebuild the site during the medieval period, from 700 to 800 AD, since the Aran Islands were a fiercely disputed territory on the frontier between the lords of Connacht and those of Munster to the south at that time. The old Bronze Age middle walls which had fallen into ruin were rebuilt to double their ancient width and height, and the other walls were also strengthened and increased.

The bodies of two young men were buried in the paved entrance to the middle wall around 680-800 AD, although there was no evidence to suggest that they died violently.

It was reconstructed after being declared a National Monument in 1880, and the large buttresses we can see outside the front of the entrance were added during that reconstruction, along with several other elements.

Dún Aonghasa still stands where it's marked on the map below.