Connacht Tribune 10th February, 1934 p.6
According to legend, Galway Bay was formerly a large lake and known as Lough Lurgan, and at one time the islands formed portion of the mainland, but the lake burst its boundaries, leaving the Aran Islands as the remains of the land that used to separate it from the sea. This statement was made by Rev. Co Senatlebury, S.J. Dublin, during the course of an interesting lecture on “The Saints and Shrines of the Aran Islands.”
Each of the islands is rich in archaeological remains. Practically every kind of ancient structure, from the dolmen to the 17th Century castle, may be studied in Aran. The huge stone fortresses, which are so conspicuous landmarks as one approaches the islands from Galway Bay, testified to the importance of the islands in pagan times. From ecclesiastical remains and from the Annals, the role that Aran played in the history of the early Irish Church may be judged. There are four forts on the largest island, two on the second largest and one on the smallest. The most famous is Dun Aengus, which stands on a promontory at the edge of the sea. It was said it got its name from the dark colour of the stones of which it was built.
The Burren and Beyond 