Description
Doon Fort is an ancient ring fort that is hidden away on a small island on Lough Doon near the coastal village of Portnoo, Donegal, Ireland
This has to be, by far the most amazing yet inaccessible monument I’ve came across in all Ireland, it is miles away from anywhere and It makes me wonder how did our ancestors build such complex heavy stone forts? and how did they transport all this stone here 3000 years ago? when I could hardly even hike to it without stopping to rest every few minutes. Ireland can be very mysterious & that’s why I love it so much!
This stone fort dating back to 3000 BC, has walls standing about four and 4.5 metres high in places and 3.6 metres thick at the base. It covers the island almost completely. Within the fort are steps terraces and passages. The ancient ruins of Doon Fort are evidence that this area has been inhabited for many centuries.
As well as ‘Doon Fort’ it is sometimes called ‘The Bawan’ or ‘The O’Boyle Fort’ as according to local legend the O’Boyle family occupied the fort from the 10th to the 16th centuries. The last O’Boyle chieftain Conor O’Boyle was slain here at the fort in the year 1530 by a rival O’Boyle group. It’s construction methods are similar to other Irish dry-stone wall forts such as Dun Aengus (Aran Islands) & An Grainan Aileach (Burt, Co.Donegal)
