Dún Aonghasa

Absolutely stunning place! 🌊✨ The views of the endless ocean 🌌 and dramatic cliffs 🏞️ are breathtaking and truly worth the trip 💯. I recommend wearing sturdy shoes 👟 with good ankle support 🦵, as the terrain can be uneven ⛰️. Also, be prepared for any kind of weather ☔🌤️🌬️ – it can change very quickly here ⏳. Despite that, the atmosphere is magical ✨🌿, and standing on top of the fort 🏰 with the sea below 🌊 is an unforgettable experience ❤️.

Beautiful scenery, wild, romantic. The walk to the Fort is maybe 20 minutes or so and a bit tiring, uneven and slippery if your not wearing the right footwear. It's spectacular when you arrive but also quite scary as there is no protection on the cliffs, just a sheer drop. I'm not exactly good with heights and my wife is ten times worse but it was my daughter (19) who scared me most because she had no fear at all. Worth a visit, must be amazing during a storm!

Nice spot for the views! It’s small and has very little historical information, but it’s still worth a visit. We didn’t need a ticket (it was free). You’ll need to leave your bike outside and walk about 800m uphill. Part of the path can be slippery, so it’s better to wear shoes with good grip.

The fort is an uphill trek that is worth every step. It starts a few meters from the beach and follows a rocky path to the top. Once there, crawl to the edge for a spectacular view of the surf below. Find a local guide to learn the history of the fort. It is challenging to imagine living on the edge of the Atlantic, but the early Irish have done so for centuries.

This was a beautiful spot to visit while on Inishmore. We went in the evening and had the whole spot to ourselves. All of our kids made the hike up easily. Careful of the edges since there are no fences. However, the views are worth it and it is incredibly peaceful!

Dún Aonghasa is incredible. The views from the cliffs are breathtaking, and the walk up to the fort is worth every step. Such a historic and dramatic spot—definitely a highlight of the Aran Islands.

Experience is breathtaking especially if you compare it to the cliffs of Moher. Site is not super accessible and it takes around 15 min to get there but totally worth it. There are no safety measures which will enhance your experience if you are careful.

A fascinating site. A must see if you are on the island. There is surprisingly minimal knowledge about it. Free to enter and staff are on hand to keep an eye on visitors

One of the most beautiful and stunning places I visited in Ireland. It is SO worth the ferry and spending a whole day on the island. The views and pictures were what we were expecting at the cliffs of moher but I felt so lucky that we got that here! It was a blue sky, sunny day which of course really made it that much better. The walk from the visitor center up to the fort is pretty rough. The temperature was nice and fairly cool so that helped but I think if it was a hot day it would have been way harder. You're basically walking on uneven stone and rocks the whole way up so wear decent shoes!

We spent the day biking around Inis Mor and this was one of our stops. I'm really glad we decided to stop here. You have to pay a bit for it, but it was well worth it. It's about a 15 minute walk up to the fort. Once you're up there, the view are spectacular. It's right on the coast and the views of the cliffs are amazing. They also let you walk right to the edge with no rope or fence, so be careful! It was also incredibly windy up there the day we were there. It was probably about a half an hour bike ride over from the pier. I would definitely recommend stopping here when on the island!

Arduous climb but worth it for the spectacular views! Be prepared and careful for rocky uneven trail up.

Definitely worth a visit. Strongly suggest wearing nice shoes for the climb. If you stay overnight on the island you can get free admission slip from your hotel (saves you 4 Euros per person). If you want to see the worm hole, I highly suggest seeing the worm hole first and then walking along the cliffs to see the ring fort. Great views along the way.

We stopped at Dun Aengus while on a tour of Inishmore. Normally you pay to enter but on the day we went, there had been an unusual amount of rain that led to part of the path being flooded so it was free admission. The kind women that were working warned everyone of the excessive water and said that many people were taking their shoes off to cross that section and that the rest of the hike is fine. They also gave everyone some paper towels to wipe off their feet before putting their shoes and socks back on. Very considerate! My shoes were advertised as waterproof so I figured this was the perfect opportunity to test it. Turns out they were! Yay me for dressing properly! The flooded section was about a minute from the start and the rest of the walk was relatively puddle free. There were a couple slick spots but nothing to be concerned about. People of all ages were making the hike without much issue. The fort is huge! There were probably 50+ people in the fort at the same time but it's so spacious and that's with nearly half of the fort having fallen into the ocean. A lot of people would look over the edge by laying on their stomachs and crawling forward. I definitely wouldn't recommend looking straight down while standing - it's very windy and you don't want to lose your balance due to an unanticipated gust of wind! If you're visiting Inishmore, Dun Aengus is a must see. 5 stars.

Let me qualify my review by stating that I am from Chicago and our history is less than 200 years. When things, anything here gets older than about 5 years, we either tear that down or add a ridiculous wing that destroys all aesthetics of the original design. Now that you know that, please understand my deep appreciation and fascination for Dun Aonghasa. It is believed that Dun Aonghasa was built in the Iron Age, maybe 1,100 BC. Amazing! The fort was built without heavy machinery with all local materials. Sustainability at its best. The walk up is supposed to be about 20 minutes, This is probably true, but it feels worse when the wind and rain is whipping sideways at 40 mph. The rain on the smooth stones can get slippery. Reaching the top was fairly climactic for us because the weather kept telling us to stop. I am so glad we kept going. If you ever want a picture book definition of brooding, come here. The brooding cliffs invite you to look over at the cold gray ocean. If you are in Galway or Rosamil with free time, do take the ferry over to Inishmore and explore Dun Aonghasa.You can take daring photos at the edge of the cliff to be shared on Instagram later, plus walk through thousands of years of history.

A trip to Inishmore (by ferry) is worthwhile if you happen to be out in Galway and my husband insisted that we take the additional trip out to Dún Aonghasa/Dún Aengus, having heard how cool it was. I myself doubted that I would see its charm because we had already biked across Inishmore (about 12 miles) and you can't access Dún Aonghasa without walking across the rocky landscape. It was also misting which is more like a 'driving mist' when you're biking. So, Dún Aonghasa (some of the following borrowed from Wikipedia in case you don't know what is it) is a pretty impressive ring fort thought to be built during the Iron Age (fairly vague dating: 'prehistoric'). It's really old and rather large at 14 acres around. Most historians tend to attribute a military/defensive function to ring forts, but since my own research is in Irish farming, I have also read some compelling articles suggesting that the ring forts were used for herding animals (perhaps in addition to strategic uses). It rests on a cliff overlooking the ocean and since I am a fan of the ocean, that is what made it worthwhile for me.

Do you remember the iconic scene in Pride and Prejudice? When Keira Knightley's character stood at the edge of a cliff, dress billowing in the wind and you felt all kinds of feminist Scarlet O'Hara defiance inside? Well this was so much better. I'm not sure what it was. Maybe it was being high up in the clouds and despite significant winds, a perfect view of the calm Irish sea with no waves in sight, giving you a false sense of ease. We happened to go on a day with absolutely no one else there and it was like a whole different world. I don't have a lot of words this time. Just moody thoughtfulness. Of all the places I have been and all the memories, this place is in my top five. I'll be dreaming of Dún Aoanghasa for a long time. PS, a few tips: Be prepared for weather and wear good shoes. The islanders with all their wonderful walk-everywhere habits like to say cute things like, "Oh it's a short walk" and "It's very easy" and then half an hour later, someone's lost a shoe after slipping on wet rocks (true story). The first part of the hike is easy and paved but the last half is uphill over crumbling stones. It's especially a little rough right after a rain and there are no hand-rails. When you first start the hike, look into the distance and see the domed, rocky area on top of the hill... That's where you're going. It's fine for people of average mobility but anything less, you should take it nice and slow. Don't let the ease of a person who regularly walks to their job on a 3-mile wide island fool you into thinking you can abandon all sense of trail readiness! And absolutely don't miss this if you come to the island.

Very impressive. Dun Aengus is an ancient fort which apparently used to be a full circle, but is now a semi-circle due to cliff erosion. From the village of Kilronan, there are buses that take you there, or you can rent a bike (like I did) for €10 and bike there. On a nice day it's a very pleasant bike ride, especially if you go along the coast (you can stop halfway and look at the seals!) Anyway, I found the fort to be fascinating. I love really old structures like that, and it's super cool how you can walk right up to the cliffs. If this was America, there would be ropes and fences and stuff everywhere preventing you from getting near the cliffs, but here they just let you walk wherever. So that's cool. It's only a few euros to get in, so if you've gone all the way to Inishmoor there's basically no reason NOT to go, as its the highlight of the island. There's also a small / lame visitor's center and a little cafe, in case your hungry. The only note I'd make is that it's a bit of a hike (10-15 min) up a semi-steep hill to the fort. Plan on an hour round trip.

What a beautiful site! For 4€ you enter by foot and hike up to the castle fort. There were lots of people on their stomachs at the sites edge to view the 100m cliff drop. Did the same, what a rush but be careful. There is nothing between you and falling off the cliff. Husband and I were walking around and found a secluded spot to nap. I took my shoes off to enjoy the grass how luscious compared to dry California. Takes just under an hour to bike here from the ferry port.

One of the most beautiful places that I have ever been. It really is magnificent, breathtaking, and a little scary all at the same time. No guardrails overlooking 100 meter cliffs plummeting into the frothy ocean. The view of the island itself from this ancient fortress is equally amazing. It appears like some giant created Inishmore with a cookie cutter and just dropped it into the ocean. If it weren't for all the stone walls marking different properties, the landscape would feel almost alien. To get here, take the 10:30am ferry from Rossaveal (Ros an Mhil) and grab a horse-drawn coach (15 Euros pp) for a 3 1/2 hour tour of Inishmore (Inis Mor) which includes Dun Aengus. It's about a 20 minute walk up to the fort but well worth it.

Some of the greatest sights of the last of Ireland are right here on this little cliff. When the sun is out shining over the water in the middle of the day and the crest of the waves are crashing against the rocks it's so calming to be in this place. Be a little daring if you may and hang your feet over the edge. If you want to stand on the rocks wall for a nice photo be quick because there are guards up there that will tell you to get off. It's beautiful and defiantly worth the ferry ride out to see.

Wow. Breathtaking. The climb up and back down is a little challenging unless you're fast on your feet but it's worth it. Much of the front of the fort has fallen into the sea, allowing the most amazing views if you're brave enough to go up to the edge. I went down on hands and knees as I'm terrified of both heights AND water, but it's all good. No, it didn't help me conquer my fear. Yes, I'd do it again, only because I am good at clinging to flat surfaces for dear life.

Amazing visit! Definitely worth the mini hike to get up there. If you go by mini bus tour I highly recommend Tom Dirrane with Aran Mini Bus Tours (0877579342). Dun Aonghasa was the last stop on his tour of Inishmore.