The Arran Islands.

The Aran islands situated at the mouth of Galway bay, the group consists of three islands, Inishmore, Inishmaan (The middle island) and Inisheer (The eastern island.) The people of Aran are possessed of a resilience and serenity, aquired over the generations as they struggled to wrest a living from the bleak but beautiful land. Robert Flannery (American Playwright.) visited the islands in the 1930's he made the classic film 'Man of Aran'. This evocation of a family's struggle with the sea and land told in an innovative way for the time.

Inishmore.
(Big Island)

Inishmore is the largest of the three islands it is 8 miles long and has one road running the length of the island, connecting the main village and the harbour, Kilronan, to the other village. The land on the north side is quite good with pastures running to the sea, by contrast the south side is rocky and lined with precipitous cliffs.

Situated on Inishmor's southern shore on the edge of a 210 ft cliff is Dun Aengus a prehistoric cliff fort defended on the landward side with three semicircular dry stone battlements and a band of chevaux-de-frise sharp rocks placed upright to hinder attackers.

There are three other similar forts on the islands. Dun Doocaher (The black fort.) Another cliff edge fort. Dun Onaght and Dun Eochla are circular and set in the middle of the island. It is not clear who or when these forts were built, but they are reckoned to be about 2000 years old.