Inishmore, (Arainn Mhor; Big Aran) Aran Islands, Co. Galway.
Inishmore, the largest of the Aran Islands is a uniquely different
world, a stone age open air museum placed upon a limestone rock measuring approximately 9 miles long and 2 miles wide with a population
of about 800. The island has probably been occupied for at least four thousand years. All around you’ll see relics of
an amazing past.
There are four well-preserved stone age forts on Inishmore but the most impressive, the 3,000 year old Dun
Angus, sits atop a sheer cliff overlooking the Atlantic. It has been described as “the most magnificent barbaric monument in
Europe.” The fort is named for Aonghus, the chief of the Fir Bolg, one of the aboriginal tribes of Ireland who were defeated
by the invading Celts about 2,500 years ago.
There is still speculation among scholars regarding the purpose of the fort.
One school of thought proposes that it may have been a ceremonial and religious theatre, while another contends that it was very obviously
for defensive purposes. Now, I’m no archaeologist but I subscribe to the latter speculation. The fort consists of an enormous
inner wall and two outer walls. Around the fort the ancient builders erected what are called Chevaux de Frise which were common
at other ancient defensive sites across Europe. Chevaux de Frise literally means, The Frisians Horses. The Frisians, a
north European tribe, placed stakes in the ground around their forts to prevent the horses of the enemy getting through. The
stakes were pushed into the ground at an angle in the direction that an enemy might come from. In Europe they were made of wood
and were sharpened to a point which greatly discouraged cavalry charges.
