Poll an Tobac

Explorer Tom You came all this way for a fort? Dún Aonghasa answers with a cliff edge on Inis Mór, about 100 metres above the Atlantic. Excavators found an enclosure beginning around 1100 BC and moulds for casting bronze from around 900 BC. Later builders wrapped it in great dry stone walls, then stuck limestone spikes into the ground outside one ring, a defensive field called a cheval de frise. I'd turn around and seek a gentler argument. Imagine arriving with hostile intentions and picking your way through that lot before even reaching the gate. Some of the original fort has fallen away with the cliff, so the striking shape you see is also the result of a very long argument between stone and sea. The outer wall once enclosed roughly six hectares, enough room for a truly ambitious game of hide and seek. Its name might point to a god or a mythical king called Aonghas; nobody can introduce you with certainty. This is a managed heritage site reached on foot from the visitor area, and the exposed cliff edge deserves real care, especially in wind. Give the walls your attention first and the ocean your applause from a sensible distance.

Explorer Tom The Fir Bolg: Dún Aonghasa has a mighty stone fort and a name tied to their leader Aonghas. If I had a fort named after me, I would be unbearable about it for years. The real walls are impressive enough; the name brings the Fir Bolg tale along for the ride.

Explorer Tom Kilmurvey Beach on Inishmore has a legend that its first owner escaped by rowing away with nothing but a bag of potatoes. He probably thought the sand was too comfortable and would make him lazy, so he just left. Snap one photo, then put the phone away and actually look.

Explorer Tom Templenaneeve in Cill Éinne is hiding a treasure that is definitely a biscuit tin from 1952. It's just lower portions of walls now, which is very fashionable these days. Look for the ghost, then pretend you didn't.

Explorer Tom Dun Onaght has a massive rampart that looks like a stone donut. It's got two terraces and steps, which is fancy for a fairy fort. Find the wonkiest bit and send it to your group chat.

Explorer Tom Clochan na Carraige would complain to the council about the lack of parking spots for its ancient chariot wheels. It’s been grumbling about the noise from the modern world since before your great-great-grandma was born, so don't take it personally when it sighs loudly. Best seen with a hangover and a sausage roll.

Explorer Tom Outbuilding in Onaght has a bird that refuses to leave because it likes the thatch better than its own nest. It’s part of a small surviving group on Inishmore, which makes it pretty special company. Snap one photo, then put your phone away and just look.

Explorer Tom Call Árainn by the map's other name and it may forgive you eventually. Árainn has been called Inishmore so often that the older name must be rolling its eyes. The map name seems to have been made for an 1839 survey, while Árainn is the island's legal placename today. Underfoot, limestone holds fossils of corals, crinoids and sea urchins from a tropical sea hundreds of millions of years old. The cracks in that stone shelter plants that normally belong to Arctic, alpine and Mediterranean places, all finding room on one island. If I try naming the fossils, ask me which one is the sea urchin. I would struggle to keep that guest list straight. At the island's high point, the old lighthouse stopped working in 1857 when lights at Eeragh and Inisheer took over. Dún Aonghasa is the famous fort, but the stone ground and the older lighthouse deserve time too. Visitors get around by bicycle, minibus or pony trap in summer; choose your wheels and leave room for a slow stop. The island has more than one way of telling you where you are.

Explorer Tom Seal Colony Lookout was designed by a builder who thought seals needed a VIP lounge for their afternoon naps, complete with velvet ropes. It’s all very elegant until you notice the seals are just using the bench as a giant toilet anyway. Go with someone who loves old stuff and watch them melt.

Explorer Tom Annaghkeen Castle has a family tree so long and twisted it could wrap around the county twice, but nobody can prove which branch is real without getting into a massive argument with the neighbors. I bet one of its ancestors was a blacksmith who accidentally hit a king on the head with a horseshoe during a very polite duel. If it rains, blame me.

Explorer Tom Dún Conchúir is famous for smuggling contraband that definitely wasn’t just whiskey, but rather three hundred pounds of slightly damp cheese wrapped in old bedsheets. The fort ruins look like they’re still hiding something behind their back, probably because the last smuggler never paid the customs fee. Stand there long enough and someone will ask if you're lost.

Explorer Tom Inis Meáin refuses to fall down because it has a grudge against the sea and thinks if it stays standing long enough, the water will get tired of trying. It’s basically holding its breath in stone form right now. Have a look and decide if I was lying.