Dún Aengus

Ancient stone fort on a cliff edge on Inishmore, one of the Aran Islands in Galway Bay, Republic of Ireland. It is semicircular in plan but is thought to have been circular before part of it fell into the sea from its clifftop position. There are four concentric walls. The inner wall, the largest, is 6 m/20 ft high and 5.5 m/18 ft thick. An outer bank encloses an area of 4.5 ha/11 acres. Recent excavations indicate a possible Bronze Age date for the site.

Dún Aengus was described as ‘the most magnificent barbaric monument extant in Europe’ by the 19th-century archaeologist George Petrie. It has undergone considerable restoration.