The Aran Islands

The Aran Islands lie a short ferry ride away from Galway. Farming, fishing, and tourism are the main occupations of these tradition-preserving people. Kilronan is the main port, located on Inishmore, the largest of the Islands (the other two being Inishmaan and Inisheer).

One gets around on foot, by bicycle (rentals available), horse-drawn carriage, or private minibus. On our visit, we were lucky enough to find a gentleman by the name of Daniel, who gave us his “special tour” of the island. There were four of us traveling together, and we were his only passengers, so we had a fine time.

The landscape on the island is austere, to say the least. You see dry stone walls, with fields of rocks in between, combined with stunning coastal views. We visited one sand beach, somewhat sheltered in a cove, where people were sunbathing, and even swimming; we could only marvel at their stamina. Our driver took us to the very end of the island and back, and we got to visit some of the old ruins, such as Teampall Chiarain, a ruined 12th century church, and the Seven Churches, a monastic settlement built between the 9th and 15th centuries. Dun Aengus, or Aonghasa, is an Iron or Bronze age fort that feels to be at the end of the world. It is designated as Heritage Site and is the largest prehistoric stone fort of the Aran Islands.

The islands are famous for their knitwear, and there are several shops in Kilronan. It was all we could do not to completely overload ourselves with knitted goods. They were exquisite and quite reasonably priced.

After our day of exploration and then dinner, we hoped to find some lively music and have a local pub experience. That was not to be. I’m not sure it’s the norm, but there were only a couple of people in the pubs we could find; we went home for an early night, although it was still light at 10:30 p.m.

The West of Ireland is well worth the time to spend visiting. Besides Galway and the Aran Islands, a trip south takes you to the Ring of Kerry, a magnificent peninsula overlooking the sea. To the north is the beauty of Connemara. There is no wrong way to go in this wonderful part of the country.