Westkotp — Earlii Forts (ind Hlonc Hub in Tnishmnre, Aran. 181 



When Petrio visited it in 1821, there was a perfect gateway at the end of 

 tlie rampart to tlio west. This, witli a great square " slice " of the clifl, 

 c(jllapse(l liofore ISMi), when O'Donovan visited the spot. This latter writer' 

 assigns the date of the Dun to 1000 years before Dun Aengusa,' and had 

 little doubt as to its having been built by the Tuatha de Dananii, uv Uie 

 remnant of the Firbolgs, immediately after the battle of Moytura. The wall 

 formed a segment of a circle 220 feet long, 20 feet high, and 18 feet thick ^ 

 it was of rough large stones, far from being perpendicular, and without "any 

 attempt at masonic art." Compared with Dun Conor it must have been 

 raised in the very infancy of society. The " Einn " was 354 feet long, 220 

 feet broad at the wall, and 110 feet at the south end, where it forms a terrific 

 cliff 300 feet high. Inside were rows of stone houses " of an oblong conical 

 form," but nearly destroyed ; one row extended along the wall and was Imilt 

 against it. The other ran north and south for 170 feet, where it liranched 

 into two rows, one to the edge of tlie cliff at the south-west, the other to that 

 on the south-east, but these rows were nearly washed away by storms. The 

 great storm (the famous " great wind " of January, 1839) had recently done 

 them great damage, hurling the waves " in mountains " over the high cliffs, 

 and casting up rocks of amazing size on to the summits to the east. The 

 shower of spray fell quite across the island. He gives a map which shows no 

 steps, but Dunraven marks two flights. The cloghans, or huts, near the wall 

 included one 12 feet across inside, and perfect (it was probably hut " E " of our 

 plan). The largest, No. 2, was near the wall, and IS feet long by 13 feet 

 wide.^ (I cannot suggest its identity, though the sketch plan coincides faii'ly 

 well with the remains.) The gateway was on the east side, near the margin 

 of the cliff. As may be seen, O'Donovan notes no features in the fort ; but, 

 from its condition before tlie restoration, this is evidently a mere oversiglit. 

 Ferguson* and several writers who describe Dun Aengusa omit all account of 

 the Black Fort. 



' Ordnance Survey Letters, County Cilw-iy, p. 243. 



- He repeated this view to the British Association in 1857. " Arnii Isles" (Marlin Haverty), 

 p. 14. The ahattis, no douht, favours an early dnte, but tlie fort in present form is too complex to 

 be dated to very early times, apart from all question of the endurance of llie sea-loin headland. 



^ W. F. Wakenian, in "Aran, I'agan and Christian," 1.SG2 (Duffy's Uibeinian M.igazine, 

 N.S., vol. ii., p. .5C"), says that O'Donovan counlcd twenty huts liere. " Ponlgurruni under the 

 cliff could swallow a ship to tlie top masts." Rev. W. Kilbride, in ''larirna," 18G8 (Uoyal 

 Hist, and Archieol. Soc., vol. i, ser. 3, p. 112), says all tlie huts in Dubh Chathair were oblong; 

 but (VDonovan's plan ccmlr.idicts this. Sir William Wilde mentioned that he had sketched the 

 most i-emarkable hut on his visit, befoi-e 1857, but they had been much dihipidated since then 

 ("The Aran Isles," 1859, p. 14). 



' University Magazine, 1853, vol. xii, part i., p. 407, he had "come from Dim Cahir and the 

 Atlantic side," but barely alludes to " tlie lonely, cnimbling pagan fortress, and the utter solitude of 

 the darl;, marblr-rilihed desert." 



R.I. A. rUOC, vol.. XXVIII., SKCT. u. [SJ7] 



