Dun Aengus
| Dun Aengus Irish: Dún Aonghasa | |
|
County Galway | |
|---|---|
| |
| Type: | hill fort |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | L81770975 |
| Location: | 53°7’32"N, 9°46’2"W |
| History | |
| Built from 1100 BC | |
| Material: | limestone |
| Information | |
| Owned by: | Heritage Ireland |
Dun Aengus, also known by the Gaelic form of the name, Dún Aonghasa,[1] is the best-known of several prehistoric hill forts on the Aran Islands of County Galway. It is found on Inishmore, at the edge of a cliff 330 feet high above the sea.
A popular tourist attraction, Dun Aengus is also an important archaeological site. It has been listed as a National Monument[2] and is in state care.
History
It is not known exactly when Dun Aengus was built, though it is now thought that most of the structures date from the Bronze Age and Iron Age.[3] T. F. O'Rahilly surmised in what is known as O'Rahilly's historical model that it was built in the 2nd century BC by the Builg following the Laginian conquest of Connaught.[4] Excavations at the site indicate that the first construction goes back to 1100 BC, when rubble was piled against large upright stones to form the first enclosure. Around 500 BC, the triple wall defences were probably constructed along the fort's western side.[5]
The 19th-century artist George Petrie called Dun Aengus "the most magnificent barbaric monument in Europe".[6] Its name, meaning "Fort of Aonghas", may refer to the pre-Christian god of the same name described in Irish mythology, or the mythical king, Aonghus mac Úmhór. It has thus traditionally been associated with the Fir Bolg.
Form and function
The fort consists of a series of four concentric walls of dry stone construction, built on a high cliff over three hundred feet above the sea. At the time of its construction sea levels were considerably lower and a Raidió Teilifís Éireann documentary estimated that originally it was over three thousand feet from the sea. Surviving stonework is four metres wide at some points. The original shape was presumably oval or D-shaped but parts of the cliff and fort have since collapsed into the sea. Outside the third ring of walls lies a defensive system of stone slabs, known as a cheval de frise, planted in an upright position in the ground and still largely well-preserved. These ruins also feature a huge rectangular stone slab, the function of which is unknown. Impressively large among prehistoric ruins, the outermost wall of Dun Aengus encloses an area of approximately 14 acres.
Today
The walls of Dun Aengus have been rebuilt to a height of 20 feet and have wall walks, chambers, and flights of stairs. The restoration is easily distinguished from the original construction by the use of mortar.
There is a small museum illustrating the history of the fort and its possible functions. Also in the vicinity is a Neolithic tomb and a small heritage park featuring examples of a traditional thatched cottage and an illegal poteen distillery.
Nearby sites
- Similar prehistoric sites on Inishmore include:
- Dún Dúchathair ("Black Stone Ringfort");
- Dún Eoghanachta ("Fort of the Eóganachta")
- Dún Eochla
- On nearby Inishmaan: Dún Chonchúir ("Fort of Conchobar")
Pictures
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Interior of Dún Eochla -
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A view over Inishmore from Dun Aengus -
Cheval de frise on the west side of Dun Aengus
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Dun Aengus) |
- Dun Aonghasa: Heritage Ireland
- Dun Aengus cliff face - YouTube
- Dun Aengus
- Dun Aengus: The Aran Islands
References
- ↑ Dún Aonghasa / Dun Aengus: Placenames Database of Ireland
- ↑ National Monuments in County Galway
- ↑ New Oxford History of Ireland
- ↑ O'Rahilly, T. F. (1984). Early Irish History and Mythology. Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. ISBN 978-0-901282-29-3.
- ↑ "Unpublished Excavations: Western Stone Forts". http://heritagecouncil.ie/unpublished_excavations/section11.html.
- ↑ George Petrie