According to mythology, Aengus, son of the God Dagda and the Goddess Boann (personification of the Boyne River), was King of the Fir Bolg, a tribe who settled on Aran and constructed these forts for protecting themselves from the inhabitants of the ‘Continent’! However stories abound and some of the more interesting ones tie the fort in with the need to defend Aran from the fabled land of Atlantis, or its ceremonial role in Celtic ancestor worship. Whatever the truth a visit to Dun Aonghasa is a pilgrimage to a sacred site that has been inhabited on and off from as far back as 1500BC, and therefore the half-mile walk to the site must be walked.
It’s a series of 4 concentric stone walls and the first ring is in some places 4 meters high and formed in 3 different levels. The original shape was presumably oval or D-shaped and it is thought that the ending part of the collapsed for the continuous erosions of the sea, but no written testimony exists. In the inside a large rectangular carved stone slab is visible that faces to the cliff, its function is not known though studies suggest use was made of it for ceremonies, seasonal and magical rites made by the druids.
The fort is surrounded by a stone chevaux de frise, the defense system of the fort which takes its name from similar constructions in northern Europe that prevented cavalry charges. Though not quite clear what purpose beyond status this system of protruding stones may have had on the island, one of the more colourful interpretations is that wild boar that were hunted in days gone by would not attack the hunter after being hunted!
On a clear day the view from the cliffs is unsurpassed. The absence of pollution and the constant sea breezes give a remarkable clarity to the air and you can see the long sloping shoreline of County Clare and south of the Shannon Estuary. In the right conditions it might even be possible to see the celebrated mirage believed to have given credence to Tir na nOg, the Land of Eternal Youth, in Irish folklore, which actually appeared on maps of Aran as recently as the 17th century.
Entrance Fee required.