Ed U.
Yelp
The windswept allure of the Aran Islands has bewitched me ever since my first trip to the west of Ireland back in 1992. I finally made it there with Jamie W. as part of a day-long Galway Tour Company package that included the Cliffs of Moher. We booked it at the last minute with the front desk receptionist at the Clayton, our Galway hotel, and because it was shoulder season and a particularly cold one at that, we fortunately got in without a hitch. The half-hour ferry ride from Doolin was quite cold and choppy, giving me a rude flashback to an even choppier trip I made in the Galapagos Islands when I could barely come out of my cabin on our first day out.
There are three Aran Islands, and most daytrippers travel to the largest one, Inishmór. However, much to our surprise, we landed at the smallest island, Inisheer (or Inis Oírr in Gaelic) where less than 300 people live. As quaint and atmospheric as it is, the island is not as isolated as you would think since there is a small airport with flights to and from Connemara three times a week. There were also some cars on the road presumably owned by the local residents. So here was the catch. We only had one hour to explore the two mile long mile island. A small wisp of land indeed but just one hour? What to do, what to do...
Our three choices for transport were riding bikes (yeah, right...in that weather?); taking a pony cart (photo: http://bit.ly/2orrKlB - quaint but tick-tock, tick-tock), or boarding one of the two tractor wagons available at the quay (photo: http://bit.ly/2nMMHEL). We went with the tractor wagon for €10 per person as we thought it would be the Fast & Furious of Inisheer. Nope but it gave us the sense that we were on the move. Our driver and guide Frank was a nimble-tongued local who has obviously been doing this for quite some time (photo: http://bit.ly/2orvBPp). He gratefully provided blankets to protect ourselves from the wild Atlantic winds.
Making his way through narrow, winding roads bordered by high drystone walls (photo: http://bit.ly/2orEMj4), Frank made three stops. The first was at the rusted shipwreck of the PMV Plassey. Ever since 1960, it's been quite a dramatic sight on the rocky shore, and much of the hull remains intact (photo: http://bit.ly/2o18URD). The second was the hilltop Inisheer Graveyard (photo: http://bit.ly/2nQa55U). Amid a sea of Celtic crosses and tombstones, the 10th-century Temple Kevin is the centerpiece the remains of which are buried mostly below ground level (photo: http://bit.ly/2ozlyou). The final stop was the ruins of O'Brien's Castle at the island's highest point (photo: http://bit.ly/2oP63bl).
You can take in pretty much the whole island from there (photo: http://bit.ly/2nN39EV). Frank assured us it was an easy five-minute walk to the quay where our ferry would be awaiting, and we had about twenty minutes to the departure. On the way up the hill, Jamie saw Radharc an Chaislean B&B and thought it would be nice to partake of the baked goods and hot chocolate served there (review: http://bit.ly/2ozJeZZ). Indeed it was and everything was freshly made, but the downside was that it took us almost fifteen minutes to get through our sojourn. We ended up huffing and puffing our way to the quay, cursing Frank's claim that it was a five-minute stroll.
Sweating bullets, we barely made it the ferry just as the departure horn blared its final warning. Back on the boat, we were able to recover from our act of inadvertent folly and take in the Cliffs of Moher at sea level, quite a treat since I've only seen them from the cliffs before (photo: http://bit.ly/2nQv48t). We would like to come back to the Aran Islands but on our own clock next time. Inishmór has an actual town, Kilronan, and the middle island Inishmaan is known to be the most untouched of the Arans, so that may be the experience I had in mind. But a return to Inisheer would also be most welcome if just to tell Frank he has a touch of the blarney in him.