Dún Aengus

Dun Aengus is a stunning semicircular fort set against sheer, 300-foot-high cliffs on the edge of the Western world, far from the most fascinating ancient site on the three sea-battered Aran Islands. The ruins of this fort, located on the northern coast of Inishmore's largest island, consist of three drystone ramparts around an interior enclosure, the purpose of which is unknown. Bronze Age beads, tools, and rings were discovered on the site and are now housed in the National Museum in Dublin; researchers believe they may have had ceremonial importance, but the fort's mystique is an important part of its attractiveness.

Visitors flock to the Aran Islands not only for the history but also for the breathtaking vistas that run uninterrupted to Mt. Brandon on Kerry's Dingle Peninsula on a clear day. You might even see the island of Hy Brasil, a renowned mirage after which the South American country is reportedly called if you look closely to the west. It is shrouded in legend, and islanders believed it appeared once every seven years. It was even depicted on Atlantic Ocean marine maps until the mid-nineteenth century.

Location: Inishmore, Aran Islands, County Galway