After battering my way through all types of gorse and jabby stuff I headed north west to climb the reasonably steep slopes to Dun Eibhinn, one of quite a few impressive defensive sites on Colonsay.
Two walls surround the fort, which can be seen from many places on the island, some parts in decent condition some badly ruined, especially on the outer wall which has seen its stones used for nearby dry stane dykes.
The building of the outer wall on the north is somewhat curious as the the drop is almost straight down. However, it protected the 20 by 18m site well. Entrance to the fort is on the North East, at this point you can see how wide the walls must have been – 4m in some places. Also an idea of height as the entrance’s walls made use of a small gully.
Traces of Iron Age dwellings inside the fort are barely visible, the remains of probably Medieval dwellings can be clearly seen.
A great place to look south, east and west, to the east is Buaile Riabhach which would be my next stop.
Visited 11/08/2024.