Today’s adventure was a boat trip to Inishmore, the largest and furthest out of the Aran Islands. There’s a storm coming in tomorrow (the remnants of Tropical Storm Helene) so the forecast is for rolling seas and periods of clouds & rain but it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see where my favourite sweaters come from so I’m going for it!

The islands are pretty much barren, windswept limestone and the residents survived by fishing the sea or trying to eke out a living raising sheep. There are ruins dating back 2,500 years – what a hardy breed to continue to live in such an unforgiving place.

There’s only a couple of options of touring the island – basically by bike, pony & trap, or minibus. The biting wind and overcast skies left me only the last option. As I wandered off the ferry I went with the first driver who accosted me, “Bertie”. Island born, middle aged, and a character. Unlike some bus tour reviews I read on TripAdvisor where their driver just drove without a word, Bertie talked non-stop. Nothing too historical or factual to get in way of a good tale, definitely an islander’s point of view.  ie. my cousin lives there, I went to school there, etc.

Our highlight was stopping at Dun Aengus, a spectacular stone fort sited high up on the edge of a cliff, with views to rival those at Moher. It’s considered one of the most important pre-historic sites in Western Europe; and is constructed as a set of concentric half-rings, as shown below in a photograph I took of an info placard. Looking back over the island one can see how flat and barren it is, all except the eastern edge which must be the side more protected from the constant wind.

Next on our tour we visited the famous “seven churches”, which is actually the ruins of 2 churches plus various outbuildings but seven sounds impressive. It’s an old monastic settlement from the 8th Century.

We then had a nice drive past a seal colony which many found very exciting, past small homes with tremendous views of the ocean, and past many damp bicyclists battling into the wind in their attempt to return to the main harbour to catch the last ferry of the day. We, however, had plenty of time for a little wander around the shops before lining up to return to the mainland.

Overnight: Rineen