Dún Eoghanachta

Dún Eoghanachta (‘the fort of Eoghanacht’), an early medieval stone fort, is located in the townland of Eoghanacht, named after the powerful Munster dynasty that controlled the island and much of Munster from their capital in Cashel, Co. Tipperary in the early medieval period. The fort was probably built around A.D. 900 and consists of one circular wall, up to 5m high and 4.75m thick.

Excavations revealed that the residents dined mostly on beef, mutton and shellfish, but occasionally pork, and even more occasionally on red deer and seal. Finds from the site are typical of this period and include iron knives and pins, as well as amber beads. Amber was being imported into the country in large quantities by the Vikings at this time, and this shows that Árainn was part of this trading network which stretched from the Atlantic to the Baltic.

Inside the fort are three structures which may date to slightly later than the fort itself. The discovery of a silver penny from c. A.D. 1300 show the fort was still occupied at that stage.

Please help us preserve this monument for future generations of islanders and visitors by not climbing on the walls or removing stones.

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This national monument is protected in accordance with the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014