The Aran Islands
Inisheer, Inishmann, and Inishmore, the three islands that make up the Aran Islands, sit in the mouth of Galway Bay off the western coast of Ireland. Known not only for the popular Aran fisherman sweaters and wool products, but for the rugged terrain, on day five we went to Inishmore, the largest of the three islands, and one of Carm’s picks to visit.
To get there, we took a forty-minute scenic ferry ride from the port in Doolin, County Clare, getting a glimpse of the Cliffs of Moher as well as a lighthouse and shipwreck on the smaller islands. Though Inishmore is biker friendly, we opted for a pony and trap tour, and met our guide, John Dirrane, alongside his bright red trap as we disembarked the ferry.
Our tour guide sitting atop our conveyance
Nine miles long and just over two miles wide, Inishmore has a population of approximately 800 people, most of whom still speak Irish. Tourism and fishing are the main industries. The island is part of the Burren region and has a “karst” landscape, a topography of limestone, dolomite, and gypsum rocks with underground drainage systems that include sinkholes and caves.
There are two main roads on Inishmore—the main upper road and the low road—and (as the song goes) we took the low road along the coast, stopping while John pointed out the town of Galway across the bay and the Aran Seal Colony. The tide was high again on the day of our visit and the few seals we saw were mere dots bobbing in the ocean, but bucolic scenes of livestock framed by the ubiquitous rock walls were plentiful.
Not far beyond the beautiful white sandy crescent of Kilmurvey Beach where the two roads join, John dropped us off at the visitor center and trailhead for the short but rocky climb to Dun Aonghasa, the remains of a semi-circular prehistoric fort that sits atop a 330-foot sheer coastal cliff. Partially restored, it’s the oldest fort in western Europe and offers amazing views of the cliffs, literally sheets of stacked rock, of the nearby islands, and the Atlantic, a must-see on Inishmore.
The ruins of Dun Aonghasa
After touring Dun Aonghasa, we headed back to town on the main upper road and had an excellent view of much of the island. The main road is another of Ireland’s narrow roads framed on either side by rock walls, and we often had to yield to oncoming traffic. Here we saw an eclectic mix of newer modern houses alongside very old stone farmhouses, thatched cottages, barns, and churches. Lining the roadside were stone “cenotaphs,” memorials dating back to the early 1800s. Topped with crosses and covered in ivy, they were placed in commemoration of local families.
Like so many places we visited, The Aran Islands also have their place in literature and film—James Joyce mentions them in his short story, “The Dead,” while Seamus Heaney’s first book of poems has one entitled “Lovers on Aran.” A scene in the 1997 film, The Match Maker, starring Janeane Garofalo, was filmed there, as were scenes from the 2010 film, Leap Year.
Last stop, our drop off point in town where John pointed out Frenchman’s Beach, the site of a large, modern “glamping” village that seemed somehow out of keeping with the rustic nature of the rest of the island. Maybe next time…
And, because you can’t tour the Aran Islands without stopping in at the Aran Sweater Market, which boasts of “the largest selection of Aran sweaters to found anywhere in the world,” we popped in to purchase souvenirs before catching our ferry back to Doolin.