Fun things to do in Inishmore

This double walled fort is build close to the highest point of Inis Mór. This means that you have a clear view over the entire island from here. There are other settlements close by like cahels, stone enclosures and houses. It’s not certain when Dún Eochla was built, because there wasn’t an excavation done. But they place it in the cashel class and that dates the construction between the 6 and 8 century. But it can be possible that the current fort replaced an older one.

Today there is no evidence found of any houses in the interior, there is only a round structure build out of stones. They believe it’s linked with the lighthouse and fulfilled a signalling function.

Dun Aonghasa is an Iron or Bronze age promontory fort with 3 stone walls and a "chevaux-de-frise" consisting of tall blocks of limestone set vertically into the ground.

We walked narrow rocky road up the hill for about a half mile from the visitor center to the fort. (You have to leave bicycle or car at the visitor center.) It was sunny when we were there, but it rained very hard in the morning, and the ground was really slippery. Bring comfortable walking shoes. I had hiking boots on.

Once you reach to the fort, you'll see a beautiful view of the Atlantic Ocean from the cliff. There is no fence stopping you from falling off the cliffs, so be careful.

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We hired bikes for a day. It was such a windy day (possibly it's as windy there always, though I doubt it) and there were some rain showers but still it was a lovely sunny day. We stayed in the biggest of the Aran Islands, Inis Mor. It's a very bare island with no trees at all. It's mainly rock and stone but it has its own beauty and we both loved it there very much. It was all uphill against the wind, but not too hard, though we walked many hills. We saw lots of stone fences. We cannot understand how people have managed to build them without using anything to keep them up. Pretty flowers in bloom everywhere and no sign of people; tourists or locals - reall luxury!

This 5th Century beehive but was the home of one of the monks who occupied Inis Mor during that time. The unique thing is that this free stone structure remains intact. It lies at the base of a hill - we left our bikes at the top.

At times on Inis Mor, you feel as though each site exists in some local's backyard - Clochan na Carraige is no different. The drive to reach it is just next to a house.

I am very interested in anything Celtic so when I saw a grave yard with Celtic crosses I just had to stop. I was taking photos of them, when a young woman came to us and asked if we were from Finland. She was a Finnish girl, who lives in London and she told us that just some days earlier she had been very homesick, so she was happy to meet somebody from home. We chatted for a little while with her until heading forward.

We tried to find a nice sheltered place to have our sandwiches, but there wasn't any, so we finally had them by the sea. It was such a beautiful place, too. The water was turquoise, almost green and the sand was almost white. I could have swum there if I had had my swimming suit with me.

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One of the main draws for visitors to Inis Mór is the spectacularly situated Dún Aonghasa prehistoric fort located on the southern coast of the island. The precise date of its construction is disputed with some claiming that the fort was constructed during the Bronze Age giving a probable construction date of between 2000BC and 1000BC. Some claim its construction later than this during the Iron Age. Whatever the truth, the semi-circular fort is certainly one of the oldest and most important prehistoric pieces of architecture in Europe.
The semi-circular fort is protected by a series of four concentric stone walls which encircle an inner courtyard with the southern side entirely open to the elements with a spectacular 300ft high sheer cliff face which drops to the pounding waves of the Atlantic far below. This dramatic location adds to the appeal of a visit to this ancient site.
The site is far too old to have any Christian significance and was more likely to be a defensive fortification or indeed a pagan worship site. Evidence points to both functions with a huge stone ‘altar’ located inside the inner walls and a strong outer defensive cheveaux de frise ,a ring of sharp jagged stones, set at all angles, which encircles the entire fort and provided an impregnable defence against would be invaders.
The site is one of ireland’s proudest heritage sites and there is an education centre located at the foot of the hill on which Dún Aonghasa sits.
Be warned the walk from the centre is rough and uneven and is not suitable for people with disabilities. Also be aware that the ring fort is a fragile piece of historic architecture and climbing on the walls of the fort itself is absolutely forbidden as is the removal or disturbance of any of the masonry. Another note of warning – the southern side of the fort opens dramatically out to see and there are no guard rails along the 300ft drop. If you don’t have a head for heights don’t go too close to the edge (Many visitors have been blown over the edge of the fort and killed below) This couldn’t stop me having a peek over the edge of the cliff, but I did have to go down on my stomach to do so!!!!

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There is something special about the Black Fort or Dún Dúchathair. Perched spectacularly on a rocky cliff high above the Atlantic, the impressive ruins of this dry-stone ring fort are more secluded and isolated than the other prehistoric forts on the island. I visited early in the morning and had the place to myself. Getting to the fort involves a walk across rugged karst limestone landscape and this puts off many visitors from visiting the fort. However, they really are missing out. Not only is the fort itself well worth a look but the natural scenery and coastal landscape is breathtaking. The open cliff faces drop dramatically away from the barren land and offer great views up and down the coast. The only other person I came across when walking along the cliffs was a local fisherman who was fishing from the high cliffs and was eager to chat, like most of the local islanders I met during my stay on the island.
Inside the walls of the fort are the remains of several stone huts and inner fort buildings. Like Dún Aonghasa Dún Dúchathair is protected by an intimidating chevaux de fries defensive wall of sharp angled stones.