Over 2,000 years ago, a fortress was built on the tiny island of Inishmore (Inis Mor) located off of Ireland in the tiny Aran Islands chain in the Atlantic Ocean. Who, why, how, and what for? That is the mystery of Dun Aengus, as great a legend as the lost city of Atlantis itself.
Archeologists believe Dun Aengus was constructed during the Iron Age. From above, the view is of concentric stone wall circles situated on the edge of a 200-foot cliff. On the ground, the views are of 10-foot-tall walls that are 13 feet deep and built at the highest point of the island. Further, spiky stones have been positioned around the outer walls of the fort. Was this place a defensive lookout, the seat of a king, or a place of worship for sea gods of the Atlantic? Not much remains to tell us besides the fortress itself.
The legends of Dun Aengus have lived for centuries. Until the mid-1800s, maps of this area showed the mist-covered island of “Hy-Brasil” off the coast of Inishmore. Purportedly, one could see it only from the vantage point of Dun Aengus once every seven years! That is another tale from the myth and mystery of Dun Aengus.