Dún Fearbhaí Explained

Dún Fearbhaí
Native Language:ga
Coordinates:53.0807°N -9.5801°W
Location:Carrownlisheen, Inishmaan,
County Galway, Ireland
Area:900m2
Built:c. AD 1–1000?
Elevation:57m (187feet)
Architecture:Gaelic Ireland
Owner:State
Type:stone ringfort
Height:5m (16feet)
Designation1:National monument of Ireland
Designation1 Offname:Doonfarvagh[1]
Designation1 Number:42

Dún Fearbhaí (in Irish pronounced as /ˌd̪ˠuːnˠ ˈfʲaɾˠəwiː/) is a stone ringfort (cashel) and national monument located on Inishmaan, one of the Aran Islands, Ireland.[2]

Location

Dún Fearbhaí is located on the eastern edge of Inishmaan, facing back toward Galway Bay.[3]

History

The fort is believed to date from the 1st millennium AD, some placing it around the 9th century.[4] [5] Its rectilinear shape and unusual structure have led to the belief that it is later than the other Aran Islands forts like Dún Conor, and perhaps contemporary with Dún Formna on Inisheer.[6]

The name Dún Mur is believed to have the same derivation as the Cliffs of Moher, which are named after an old promontory fort called Moher, which once stood on Hag's Head. The name Dún Fearbhaí takes its name from the surrounding area An Fhearbach, "abounding in cattle."[7]

Description

Dún Fearbhaí is a stone ringfort (cashel) shaped like a square with rounded corners; it contains two walls and one terrace built on a steep incline, and also four sets of internal stairs. The walls are up to 4m (13feet) high and up to 3m (10feet) thick, and measure about 27m (89feet) by 23m (75feet) internally.[8] [9] There is a single entrance in the east, 2m (07feet) wide. O’Driscoll wrote, "A thick wall would have been necessary for larger, higher walls, resulting in excessive labour and resource costs. This was partly alleviated by terracing the walls, reducing the amount of material used. Terracing of the inner face and incorporation of steps allowed access to the top of the wall, permitting occupants expansive visibility of the immediate environs as well as a strategic advantage over approaching attackers. The vertical walls that met attackers or visitors would have been an impressive barrier that provided practical defence for the occupants, as well status."[10]

Looped walk

The Lúb Dún Fearbhaí is a 13-kilometre looped walk across the island, named after the fort.[11] [12] [13]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 4 March 2009 . National Monuments in State Care: Ownership & Guardianship: Galway . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20171114053649/https://www.archaeology.ie/sites/default/files/media/pdf/monuments-in-state-care-galway.pdf . 14 November 2017 . 8 June 2020 . . Ireland.
  2. Web site: Dún Fearbhaí on a Sunday afternoon | How's the Serenity? .
  3. Web site: Dún Fearbhui - Fearboy’s Fort Aran Islands - Fort Inishmaan | Inis Meáin .
  4. Book: Guides, Rough . The Rough Guide to Ireland . 1 June 2015 . Rough Guides UK . 9780241236208 . Google Books.
  5. Web site: A Guide to Inis Mor (Inishmore) - Inis Mor - Inishmore - Aran Islands .
  6. Book: Henderson, Jon . The Atlantic Iron Age: Settlement and Identity in the First Millennium BC . 30 December 2007 . Routledge . 9781134076130 . Google Books.
  7. Book: Spellissy, Sean . The history of Galway . 1 January 1999 . Celtic Bookshop . 9780953468331 . Google Books.
  8. Web site: The Mystery of the Aran Islands- Dún Mur . aran-islands-tsunami-shelters.com.
  9. Book: Halpin, Andrew . Ireland: An Oxford Archaeological Guide to Sites from Earliest Times to AD 1600 . Newman . Conor . 30 September 2006 . Oxford University Press . 190 . Dún Fearbhaí. . registration . Internet Archive.
  10. Web site: 2016 . Western Stone Forts . Royal Irish Academy.
  11. Web site: Visit Inis Meain - Lúb Dún Fearbhaí with Discover Ireland . DiscoverIreland.ie.
  12. Web site: 20 January 2014 . Lúb Dún Fearbhaí Looped Walk, Inis Meain or Inishmaan, Aran Islands, Galway | Location | Activeme.ie . ActiveMe.ie.
  13. Web site: Inis Meain - Lúb Dún Fearbhaí | Sport Ireland . SportIreland.ie.