Inishmore • Inisheer
Sights and Activities on Inishmore
Strewn like limestone chips hammered off the jagged west coast, the three Aran Islands—Inishmore, Inishmaan, and Inisheer—confront the wild Atlantic with stubborn grit (“Inish” is Irish for “island”). The largest, Inishmore (“big island,” 9 miles by 2 miles), is by far the most populated, interesting, and visited. Easily reached from Galway, it’s my island of choice (try to spend a night here). Inisheer (“east island”) is the smallest at 1.5 miles square. Best reached from Doolin, it’s worth considering for travelers with less time. Snoozing between them is Inishmaan (“middle island,” 3.5 miles square and not covered in this chapter).
The landscape of all three islands is harsh. Craggy, vertical cliffs fortify the southern flanks of each island (particularly Inishmore). Windswept rocky fields, stitched together by stone walls, blanket the interiors. And the island’s precious few sandy beaches hide in coves that dimple the northern shores. During the winter, severe gales sweep through; because of this, most of the settlements on the islands are found on the more sheltered northeastern side.
There’s a stark beauty about the Aran Islands and the simple lives their inhabitants eke out of a mean sea and less than six inches of topsoil. Precious little of the land is productive. In the past, people made a precarious living here from fishing and farming. The scoured bedrock offered little in the way of soil, so it was created by the islanders—the result of centuries of layering seaweed with limestone sand and animal dung. Fields are small, divided by several thousand miles of “drystone” wall (made without mortar). Most of these are built in the Aran “gap” style, in which spaces between angled upright stones are filled with smaller stones. This allows a farmer who wants to move livestock to dismantle a short section of wall as a temporary gate, and then rebuild that section afterward. It also allows the harsh winter winds to blow through without knocking down the wall. Nowadays, tourism boosts the islands’ economy.
The islands are a Gaeltacht area. While the islanders speak Irish among themselves, they happily speak English for their visitors. Many islanders have direct, personal connections with close relatives in America. I once met an Aran minivan driver who served in the US Navy aboard a destroyer before coming back home to Inishmore. Five of his six children now have American passports.
Today, the 800 people of Inishmore greet as many as 2,000 visitors a day. The vast majority of these are day-trippers. They’ll hop on a minivan at the dock for a 2.5-hour visit to Dun Aengus (the must-see Iron Age fort), grab a simple lunch, and then spend an hour or two browsing through the few shops or sitting at a picnic table outside a pub with a pint of Guinness. Inisheer and Inishmaan are smaller, much less populated, and less touristy. While relatively quiet, they do have B&Bs, daily flights, and ferry service. For most, Inishmore is quiet enough—though Inisheer is slowly gaining steam as an alternative to the big island.
The largest of the Aran Islands has a blockbuster sight: the striking Dun Aengus fort, set on a sheer cliff. Everyone arrives at Kilronan, the Aran Islands’ biggest town, though it’s just a village. Groups of backpackers wash ashore with the docking of each ferry. Minivans, bike shops, and a few men in pony carts sop up the tourists.
Most travelers visit Inishmore (Inis Mór) as a day trip by boat from Galway. (Boats from distant Doolin are slower and weather-dependent, allowing less time for a same-day round-trip to Inishmore.) Here’s a good framework for a day trip: Leave Galway at 9:00 on the shuttle bus to Rossaveal, where you’ll catch the 10:30 boat. You’ll step off the boat in Kilronan at about 11:15. Arrange minivan transport or rent a bike, visit Dun Aengus, and grab a bite at one of the two simple cafés near the base of the Dun Aengus fort trail (or bring a picnic). Explore the island during low tide, and depart on the boat when high tides return between 16:00 and 18:00. You can squeeze an extra three to four hours out of your day trip by booking an early flight over and a late flight back from Connemara Regional Airport, near Rossaveal. For more details on these options, see “Aran Islands Connections” at the end of this chapter.
Staying Overnight: Travelers spending the night can savor the quiet time before and after the day-trip crowds. Here’s how I’d suggest you spend your arrival day: Since most day-trippers make a beeline straight off the boat to Dun Aengus, head in the opposite direction to check out the subtle charms of the less-visited eastern end of the island. Buy a picnic at the Spar supermarket in Kilronan. Then walk to either the ruins of tiny St. Benen’s Church (an easy 45-minute hike one way from Kilronan) or the rugged Black Fort ruins (a rocky 1-hour scramble one way from Kilronan). Save Dun Aengus for later in the afternoon, after the midday crowds have subsided. Enjoy an evening in the pubs and take a no-rush midmorning boat trip or flight back to the mainland the next day.
Your first stop on Inishmore is the town of Kilronan, huddling around the pier. There are about a dozen shops and B&Bs, about half as many restaurants, and a couple of bike-rental huts (regular 21-speed bikes about €10/day plus €10 deposit, electric bikes €25/day plus €20 deposit).
A few blocks inland up the high road, you’ll find the best folk-music pub (Joe Watty’s), a post office, and a tiny bank across from the roofless Anglican church ruins.
A friendly café/shop with free Wi-Fi lurks on the back side of the stony Aran Sweater Market building, across from the high cross (daily 10:00-20:00, shorter hours off-season; also has Irish lessons for tourists, a detailed map for hikers, and the Man of Aran film described below). Public WCs are 100 yards beyond the TI (see below) on the harbor road.
The huge Spar supermarket, two blocks inland from the harbor, seems too big for the tiny community and has the island’s only ATM. If you don’t have plenty of cash on you, get some here—most B&Bs and quite a few other businesses don’t accept credit cards.
Kilronan’s TI is helpful (daily 10:00-17:00, may close during lunch, shorter hours in winter, faces the harbor, tel. 099/61263). The free map given out by the TI or ferry operator is all the average day-tripper or leisure biker will need to navigate. But serious hikers who plan on scampering out to the island’s craggy fringes will want to invest in the detailed black-and-white Oileáin Árann map and companion book by Tim Robinson (€16, sold at the Man of Aran Coffee & Craft Shop behind the Aran Sweater Market, and at some bookstores in Galway).
Events: Late June is when Inishmore shakes off its slumber and kicks up its heels. The Patrún is a three-day annual celebration during the last weekend in June (currach boat races, Galway “hooker” boat races, fun run). June 23 is St. John’s Eve Bonfire Night, a Christian/pagan tradition held the night before St. John’s Day, close to (but not on) the summer solstice. Each community stokes a raging fire around dusk, and dozens are visible not only on the island, but also on the distant shore of Connemara.
These are the traditional fishing boats of the west coast of Ireland—lightweight and easy to haul. In your coastal travels, you’ll see a few actual currach or navogue boats—generally retired and stacked where visitors can touch them and ponder the simpler age when they were a key part of the economy. The currach is native to the Aran Islands, while the navogue is native to the Dingle Peninsula. It’s primarily a case of semantics and, to us, they look almost the same. But a fisherman would build a boat to suit his needs: a higher bow to deal with more surf, higher sides to lean over when pulling up lobster pots, a flat stern, etc. Few raw materials were needed to make the boats: a wooden frame with canvas (originally cowhide) and paint with tar. But the skill in making them came from generations of fine-tuning by fishermen who knew their environment intimately. The advantage of both boats was maneuverability on the sea and ease in getting them in and out of the water (the seamanship of these skilled sailors is too often underestimated). Their disadvantage was their fragility when hauling anything other than men or fish. When transporting sheep, farmers would lash each sheep’s pointy little hooves together and place it carefully upside-down in the currach—so it wouldn’t puncture the frail little craft’s canvas skin.
Just about anything on wheels functions as a taxi here. A trip from Kilronan to Dun Aengus to the Seven Churches and back to Kilronan costs €15 per person in a shared minivan. Pony carts cost about €50 for two people (€80 for 4) for a trip to Dun Aengus and back.
Biking is great. Before heading out, check that your bike seat is set at the correct height and stable enough so that you can fully extend both legs as you pedal. (The most frequent bike rental complaint is a seat that won’t stay in place and slowly slips down...cramping your legs when you’re far down the island.) Take it for a short test spin while you’re still near the rental shop.
Novice bikers should be aware that the terrain is hilly and there are occasional headwinds and unpredictable showers (figure 30 minutes to ride from Kilronan to start of trailhead up to Dun Aengus). Cyclists should take the high road over and the low road back—fewer hills, scenic shoreline, and at low tide, a dozen seals basking in the sun.
Keep a sharp lookout along the roads for handy, modern limestone signposts (with distances in kilometers) that point the way to important sights. They’re in Irish, but you’ll be clued in by the small metal depictions of the sights embedded within them.
Fewer than 100 vehicles roam the island, and most of them seem to be minivans. A line of vans (seating 8-18 passengers) awaits the arrival of each ferry, offering €15 island tours. They’re basically a shared taxi service that will take you to the various sights, drop you off, and return at an agreed time to take you to the next attraction.
Chat with a few drivers to find one who likes to talk. On my tour, I learned that 800 islanders live in 14 villages (actually just crossroads), with three elementary schools and three churches. Most islanders own a small detached field where they keep a couple of cows (sheep are too much trouble). When pressed for more information, my guide explained that there are 400 types of flowers and 19 types of bees on the island. Then he pointed to the 2,000-year-old ring fort on the hilltop and grinned, saying, “It’s so popular with visitors that we plan to build another 2,000-year-old ring fort next year.”
The tour, a convenient time-saver, zips you to the end of the island for a quick stroll in the desolate fields, gives you 15 minutes to wander through the historic but visually unimpressive Seven Churches, and then drops you off for two hours at Dun Aengus (30 minutes to hike up, 30 minutes at the fort, 20-minute hike back down, 40 minutes in café for lunch or shopping at drop-off point) before running you back to Kilronan. These sights can be linked together in various sequences, but the trailhead crossroads below Dun Aengus—with two cafés—makes the best lunch stop. Ask your driver to take you back along the smaller coastal road (scenic beaches and sunbathing seals at low tide).
Visitors can rent a mobile phone-size audioguide for a day. Its clear and informative commentary covers the island’s major sights, and it comes with a numbered, color-coded map to follow along with. The audioguide offers more scholarly, bite-sized info segments and is no substitute for the fun and colorful ad-libbing by a local minivan driver or pony cart handler. But it’s particularly useful for bikers and hikers, who are not being driven around the island by a local (€8/day, rent from recommended Bayview Restaurant facing harbor, tel. 086/792-9925).
This Oscar-winning 1934 movie (1.25 hours) is a documentary, partly staged, about traditional island life. It’s basically a silent movie, with an all-local cast and the sounds of surf, seagull, and sailor (muttering in barely audible Irish) dubbed in. It’s a strangely fascinating glimpse of the past and was groundbreaking in its time. The movie tries to re-create life in the early 1900s—when you couldn’t rent bikes—and features currachs (canoe-like boats) in a storm, shark fishing with handheld harpoons, kids fishing off cliffs, and farmers creating soil and cultivating the patches from bare rock. But make this film a rainy-day option: Don’t waste time indoors when the real thing is right outside at your feet.
Cost and Hours: €5, 3 showings/day—usually on request, plays in café (upstairs) behind Aran Sweater Market—see here for hours.
Irish Lessons: Gearóid (pronounced gair-OH-id), who runs the café, also teaches one-hour Irish lessons to tourists for €5. Learn how to say “please” and “thank you,” order a beer, and more in this unusual language (don’t worry, he writes everything down phonetically).
Kilronan’s pubs offer music sporadically on summer nights. Nothing is dependably scheduled, so ask at your B&B or look for posted notices on the front of the Spar supermarket or post office. Joe Watty’s Bar, on the high road 100 yards past the post office, is worth the 10-minute walk from the dock. Its appealing front porch goes great with a pint, and Irish folk music warms the interior most nights. The more central Joe Mac’s Pub (next to the hostel) and The Bar (next to the high cross at the base of the high road) are also possibilities.
This is the island’s blockbuster sight. The stone fortress hangs spectacularly and precariously on the edge of a cliff 200 feet above the Atlantic. The crashing waves seem to say, “You’ve come to the end of the world.” Gaze out to sea and consider this: Off this coast, Hy-Brasil—a phantom island cloaked in mist—was said to pop into view once every seven years. This mythical place appeared on maps as late as the mid-1800s.
Little is known about this 2,000-year-old Iron Age fort. Its concentric walls are 13 feet thick and 10 feet high. As an added defense, the fort is ringed with a commotion of spiky stones, sticking up like lances, called chevaux-de-frise (literally, “Frisian horses,” named for the Frisian soldiers who used pikes to stop charging cavalry). Slowly, as the cliff erodes, hunks of the fort fall into the sea.
Dun Aengus doesn’t get crowded until after 11:00. I enjoyed a half-hour completely alone at 10:00 in the height of tourist season; if you can, get there early or late. A small visitors center (housing the ticket office and controlling access to the trail) displays aerial views of the fort and tells the story of its inhabitants. Trail access to the fort is open and free when the visitors center is closed.
Cost and Hours: €5; daily March-Oct 9:30-18:00, off-season until 16:00, closed Mon-Tue in Jan-Feb; last entry one hour before closing, during June-Aug guides at the trailhead answer questions and can sometimes give free tours up at the fort if you call ahead, 5.5 miles from Kilronan, tel. 099/61008.
Warnings: Like the Burren (its nearby mainland limestone cousin), this is rocky, irregular ground with primitive steps of varying heights and some smooth surfaces that can get slippery when wet. The trail is gravel for the first half of the hike and lined with rock walls (you can’t get lost). But watch your step on bare rock—some stable-looking rocks can be surprisingly shaky. Rangers advise visitors to wear sturdy walking shoes and watch kids closely; there’s no fence between you and a crumbling 200-foot cliff overlooking the sea. Also, be very careful about unexpected gusts of wind and uncertain footing near the edge. The Irish don’t believe in litigation, just natural selection.
Close to the western tip of the island, this gathering of ruined chapels, monastic houses, and fragments of a high cross dates from the 8th to 11th century. Inishmore is dotted with reminders that Christianity was brought to the islands in the fifth century by St. Enda, who established a monastery here. Many great monks studied under Enda. Among these “Irish apostles” who started Ireland’s “Age of Saints and Scholars” (A.D. 500-900) was Columba (Colmcille in Irish), the founder of a monastery on the island of Iona in Scotland—home of the Irish monks who produced the Book of Kells. Check out the ornate gravestones (best detail on sunny days) of the “seven Romans,” located in the slightly elevated back corner of the graveyard, farthest from the road. These pilgrims came here from Rome in the ninth century, long after the fall of the Roman Empire.
The island’s second-largest village nestles below Dun Aengus. More a simple crossroads than a village, it sports two soup-and-sandwich cafés, a gaggle of homes, and a great sheltered swimming beach with a blue flag. Throughout Ireland, “blue flag” beaches proclaim clean water, safe currents, and the color of your toes when you shiver back to your towel. This is the place for peaceful solitude. Located on the narrowest section of the island, it also has the best grazing land, a fact not lost on the local landlord who claimed it for himself.
Off the beaten path and accessible only by hiking, this site (also called the “Serpent’s Lair”) takes the “logic” out of geo-logic. It’s a large, perfectly rectangular, 40-by-100-foot seawater-filled pool (60 feet deep) that was cut by nature into the flat coastal bedrock. You’d swear that God used a cake knife to cut out this massive slab—just to mess with us. But limestone often fractures at right angles. So, the Worm Hole was formed when the roof of the hidden cave underneath (cut by tidal action) collapsed just so. To add to the surreal scene, Red Bull has featured this site several times in its annual cliff-diving competition from the 90-foot cliff above it (search YouTube for thrilling video clips).
Boulder-hopping your way across the narrowest section of the island, you’ll find the Worm Hole beneath the island’s southern cliffs, one mile straight south of Kilmurvey’s fine beach. Consult your map and start with the primitive gravel lane leading in the direction of the tiny inland community of Gort na gCapall. From there you’ll be using dead reckoning. It’s signposted from the Main Road as Pol na bPeist, but Tim Robinson’s detailed map (see “Tourist Information,” earlier) is handy for navigating here.
This private residence and garden should be viewed from the road only (please respect their privacy...they’re not trying to get famous). It’s a “back to basics” family homestead, fronted by a creative garden (spelling out “LOVE” in block letters), and inspired by an appreciation of a holistic lifestyle. It’s a refreshing addition to the island landscape that blends in beautifully. To better appreciate it, check out Melissa Gillian’s blog (www.thearanartisan.com). The garden is located about halfway between Kilronan and Kilmurvey, downhill on the right side if you are heading west on the High Road.
The quiet eastern end of Inishmore offers ancient sites in evocative settings for overnight visitors with more time, or for those seeking rocky hikes devoid of crowds. First, get a good hiking map. Then consider assembling a picnic, to fuel up either before or after you spend a couple of hours exploring these sights on foot. Ask the folks in town for directions (almost always a memorable experience in Ireland).
Closest to the road, amid the dunes one mile past the Tigh Fitz B&B and just south of the airport, is the eighth-century St. Enda’s Church (Teaghlach Einne). Protected from wave erosion by a stubborn breakwater, it sits half-submerged in a sandy graveyard, surrounded by a sea of sawgrass and peppered with tombstones. St. Enda is said to be buried here, along with 125 other saints who flocked to Inishmore in the fifth century to learn from him.
St. Benen’s Church (Teampall Bheanáin) perches high on a desolate ridge opposite the Tigh Fitz B&B. Walk up the stone-walled lane, passing a holy well and the stubby remains of a round tower. Then take another visual fix on the church’s silhouette on the horizon, and zigzag up the stone terraces to the top. The 30-minute hike up from the B&B pays off with a great view. Dedicated to St. Benen, a young disciple of St. Patrick himself, this tiny (12-by-6-foot) 10th-century oratory is aligned north-south (instead of the usual east-west) to protect the doorway from prevailing winds. It’s thought that this structure was built, not as a place to say Mass, but primarily to house holy relics (a splinter from Christ’s cross, a thorn from his crown, etc.), which at the time were highly sought after. Also, its prominent location served something like a beacon to those many pilgrims who had made the arduous journey to this remote holy island on the edge of the then-known world.
About a five-minute walk past the Tigh Fitz B&B (on your left as you head toward the airport), you’ll notice an abandoned stone pier and an adjacent, modest medieval ruin. This was Arkin Fort, built by Cromwell’s soldiers in 1652 using cut stones taken from the round tower and the monastic ruins that once stood below St. Benen’s Church. The fort was used as a prison for outlawed priests before they were sent by English authorities to the West Indies to be sold into slavery.
Hidden on a remote, ragged headland an hour’s walk from Kilronan to the south side of the island, you’ll find the Black Fort (Dún Duchathair). After Dun Aengus, this is Inishmore’s most dramatic fortification. A good map is essential to navigate here. Built on a promontory with cliffs on three sides, its defenders would have held out behind drystone ramparts, facing the island’s interior attackers. Watch your step on the uneven ground, be ready to course-correct as you go, and chances are you’ll have this windswept ruin all to yourself. Imagine the planning and cooperative effort that went into building these life-saving structures 2,000 years ago, before Gore-Tex and granola bars.
All of the following places are in Kilronan. Remember, this is a rustic island. Many rooms are plain, with simple plumbing. Luxury didn’t make the leap from the mainland.
$$ The Aran Islands (Ostan Aran) Hotel is the most modern option on the island. Its 20 rooms (four with large harbor-facing porches) have the comforts you’d expect. Beware of loud weekend stag/hen parties drawn to their downstairs pub (tel. 099/61104, www.aranislandshotel.com, info@aranislandshotel.com, 10-minute walk east of the dock on the coast road heading toward Killeany).
$$ The Pier House stands solidly, 50 yards from the pier, offering 12 decent rooms, a good restaurant downstairs, and sea views from many of its rooms (tel. 099/61417, www.pierhousearan.com, pierhousearan@gmail.com).
$ Clai Ban, the only really cheery place in town, is run by friendly Marion and Bartley Hernon. Their six rooms and warm hospitality are worth the 10-minute uphill walk from the pier. The place is energized by their affectionate adolescent hound, Porter (cash only, family rooms, walk past bank out of town and up the 50-yard-long lane on left, tel. 099/61111, claibanhouse@gmail.com).
$ Tigh Catherine is a well-kept B&B with four homey rooms overlooking the harbor (cash only, on Church Road up behind the Halla Ronain community center, tel. 099/61464, mobile 087-980-9748, catherineandstiofain@gmail.com, Catherine Mulkerrin).
$ Seacrest B&B offers six uncluttered rooms in a central location behind the Aran Sweater Market (cash only, tel. 099/61292, mobile 087-161-6507, seacrestaran@gmail.com, Geraldine and Tom Faherty).
$ Dormer House is centrally located and not particularly hung up on modern communication technology (no Internet, only phone). But Alice Joyce has run it for 30 years and prices her rooms fairly. They’re on par with the neat, no-frills vibe of the rest of the options in town (cash only, next to Spar Market, tel. 099/61125).
¢ Kilronan Hostel, overlooking the harbor near the TI, is cheap but noisy above Joe Mac’s Pub (tel. 099/61255, www.kilronanhostel.com, kilronanhostel@gmail.com).
(See “Kilronan” map.)
There are few restaurants in Kilronan and none are fancy. Plan on comfort food at reasonable prices.
The island’s most central and stylish (a relative term) option is the Bayview Restaurant, standing proudly purple beside the high cross. Soup, salads, burgers, and pizza fuel up tired bikers and hikers (daily 12:00-21:00, tel. 086/792-9925). This is also where you can rent audioguides for touring the island (described earlier, under “Tours on Inishmore”).
I like the friendly vibe and tasty grub up the hill at $$ Joe Watty’s Bar. Try the chicken goulash with a pint and stick around for the music (daily April-Oct 12:30-15:30 & 17:00-21:00, tel. 099/20892, pleasant front-porch seating).
The Aran Islands Hotel has a modern $$ pub serving simple soup-and-sandwich lunches and hot dinners (daily 12:00-21:00, tel. 099/61104).
The Pier House operates the dependable $$$ Bia Restaurant on the ground floor of its guesthouse (daily May-Sept 11:00-21:30, tel. 099/61811).
Otherwise, Kilronan’s modest cafés dish up hearty soup, soda bread, sandwiches, and tea.
Supermarket: The Spar has all the groceries you’ll need (Mon-Sat 9:00-18:00, Sun 10:00-17:00).
The roughly circular little island of Inisheer (Inis Oírr) has less than a quarter of the land area and population of Inishmore. But Inisheer’s close proximity to the mainland makes it an easy 35-minute boat journey from Doolin and a good option for those with limited time who aren’t going north to Galway.
Inisheer offers a vivid glimpse of Aran Island culture and has an engaging smorgasbord of salty but modest sights. It’s also slowly gaining in popularity as an alternative to Inishmore. Inisheer is now being combined with the Cliffs of Moher on some Galway-based bus/boat/bus day tours. Also, boat service from the mainland is becoming more dependable following completion of a second pier at Doolin, allowing Inisheer to siphon off some of the summer crowds from Inishmore.
Planning Your Time: Take an early boat from Doolin to maximize your time on Inisheer. For more details, see “Aran Islands Connections” at the end of this chapter.
You’ll dock on the north side of the island in its only settlement. Facing inland with your back to the pier, you’ll be able to see nearly all of the island’s landmarks (except for the An Plassy shipwreck and the lighthouse on the southern shore). Although some pony carts and minivan drivers meet you at the pier, I’d rely on them only on a rainy day (€10).
For me, the joy of compact Inisheer is seeing it on a bike ride or a long breezy walk. The bike-rental outfit is right at the base of the pier (€10/2 hours, €12/day, tel. 099/75049, www.rothai-inisoirr.com, no deposit necessary “unless you look suspicious”). Any of the boat operators in Doolin can give you a free map of the island showing Inisheer’s primitive road network. That’s all you’ll need to navigate.
There are three pubs on the island, one small grocery store, and no ATMs. All of the sights, with the exception of the lonely lighthouse on the southern coast, are concentrated on the northern half.
Inisheer lacks the dramatic (and much higher) coastal cliffs of Inishmore, but has its own unique photogenic charms. Fans of the 1990s British sitcom Father Ted may recognize parts of the island, which were featured in the show’s intro depicting its fictional Craggy Island location.
The following sights are free, open all the time, and marked on your free boat company map. See them in the order listed, from west to east, across the northern half of the island. If you bike rather than hike, be prepared to walk the bike up (or down) short, steep hills.
The ruins of this castle dominate the hilltop and are visible from almost anywhere on the northern half of the island. It’s a steep 20-minute walk from the pier up to the castle ruins. The small castle was built as a tower house refuge around 1400 by the O’Brien clan from nearby County Clare. It sits inside a low wall of a much older Iron Age ring fort. Cromwell’s troops destroyed the castle in 1652, leaving the evocative ruins you see today.
If you’ve huffed your way up to O’Brien’s Castle, then go another easy five minutes to the Napoleonic Tower (An Tur Faire), which was built in the early 1800s to watch for a feared French invasion that never took place. The views from this highest point on the island are worth it.
• Consult your map and continue walking (south) on the paved road into the heart of the island. Take your first right turn, roughly 100 yards after the Napoleonic Tower, onto a rocky, grassy cow lane that zigzags downhill into a lush hidden valley, displaying the prettiest mosaic of ivy-tangled rock walls and small green fields I’ve seen anywhere on the Aran Islands.
Once you’ve wound your way back down to the main north-shore road again, turn right and continue east with the airstrip on your left. On your right, you’ll soon see a time-passed graveyard up atop a sandy hill. Hike the 50 yards up into the graveyard to find...
St. Cavan was the brother of St. Kevin, who founded the monastery at Glendalough in the Wicklow Mountains (see here). In the middle of the graveyard is a sunken sandpit holding the rugged, roofless remains of an 11th-century church. The shifting sand dunes almost buried it before sawgrass stabilized the hill. St. Cavan’s reputed gravesite is protected by a tiny modern structure worth poking your head into for its candlelit atmosphere. Local folklore held that if you spent a night sleeping on the tomb lid, your particular illness would be cured.
• Walk back down to the north-shore road and head out on the coast road (to the southeast) 30 minutes to the remote...
This freighter was wrecked offshore on Finn’s Rock in 1960. But islanders worked with the coastal patrol to help rescue the crew with no loss of life. A couple of weeks later the unmanned ship was washed high up onto the rocky shore, where it still sits today, a rusty but fairly intact ghost ship with a broken back. The fierce winter winds and record-breaking waves of 2013 shifted the wreck, further weakening it, and discussions are under way to remove it as it deteriorates. A local told me, “We may have to go out some night with lanterns to bring in a new shipwreck.”
Beware of unstable footing on the rounded cobbles thrown up by the surf near the wreck. It’s extremely dangerous to touch the wreck, and those trying to climb it are begging for a rusty puncture wound...or worse.
• With more time, consult your map and seek out the remaining intimate little church ruins and holy wells that the island has to offer. Or head back to town for a beverage while you await the return ferry.
A scattering of B&Bs dots the northern half of the island. Here are two good options:
$ South Aran House is a quiet, well-run place with five spic-and-span, black-and-white rooms. Humorous Enda and friendly Maria Conneely are generous with local tips and also run the nearby South Aran Restaurant, where you’ll have breakfast (easy 10-minute walk west of pier on north-shore road, call ahead with your ferry arrival time so they can meet you with keys, tel. 099/75073, mobile 087-340-5687, www.southaran.com, info@southaran.com). Their small rental cottage sleeps two.
¢ Bru Hostel Radharc na Mara is a simple, economical, 40-bed option just 100 yards west of the pier, next to Tigh Ned Pub. They also offer five basic doubles in their adjacent B&B directly behind (includes continental breakfast, open mid-March-Oct, tel. 099/75024, radharcnamara@hotmail.com).
(See “Inisheer” map.)
Inisheer’s three main pubs offer decent pub grub (usually 12:30-20:30). $$ Tigh Rauraí Pub (House of Rory) is the epicenter of island social life (from the pier, head east to the edge of the beach and turn right—inland—up a narrow lane for 100 yards). Just below it, closer to the beach, $$ Ostan Inis Oírr Pub (Hotel Inisheer) sports a colorful collage of international flags draping the pub’s ceiling and stag/hen parties on weekends. $$$ Tigh Ned Pub (House of Ned) is right next door to the hostel, near the pier on the north-shore road. Life could be worse than to sit outside at their appealing front tables on a summer evening, enjoying a pint in the salt air.
For a mellow evening meal, try the $$ South Aran Restaurant, a five-minute walk west of the pier on the north-shore road (daily 18:00-21:00, tel. 099/75073, mobile 087-340-5687).
Picnic lovers flock to the island’s small grocery, Siopa XL, behind Ostan Inis Oírr Pub and below Tigh Rauraí Pub (Mon-Sat 9:00-18:00, Sun 10:00-14:00).
For an overview map of the region, see here.
Island Ferries sails to Inishmore from the port of Rossaveal, 20 miles west of Galway. The company runs a shuttle bus from Galway to the Rossaveal dock (3/day April-Oct, 2/day Nov-March, bus ride and ferry crossing each takes 45 minutes; coming from Galway, allow 2 hours total; €25 round-trip boat crossing plus €9 round-trip for shuttle bus, 10 percent discount if you book online, WCs on board). Catch shuttle buses from Galway on Queen Street, a block behind the Kinlay Hostel (check-in 1.5 hours before sailing); shuttles return to Galway immediately after each boat arrives. Ferry schedule for mid-April-Sept: from Rossaveal at 10:30, 13:00, and 18:30; from Inishmore at 8:15 (9:00 on Sun), 12:00, and 17:00 (plus 16:00 in June and 18:30 in July-Aug). Island Ferries has two offices in Galway: on Forster Street across from the TI and at 19 Eyre Square (tel. 091/568-903, after-hours tel. 091/572-273, www.aranislandferries.com).
Note: The boat you take out to the islands may not be the same as the one you come back on. And sometimes you’ll board by walking up the gangplank of one boat and walking across its deck to another boat docked beside or behind it. Make sure to ask.
Driving to Rossaveal: Drivers should go straight to the ferry landing in Rossaveal, passing several ticket agencies and pay parking lots. At the boat dock, you’ll find a convenient €8/day lot and an office that sells tickets for Island Ferries (with better WCs than on the ferry). Check to see what’s going when and for how much.
Boats from Doolin sail to all three Aran Islands. However, service is patchier and less reliable than the bigger boats out of Rossaveal—though recent completion of a second, deeper-water pier at Doolin has improved things, as boats are less at the mercy of the tides that bedeviled crossings from the original port.
While it’s possible to travel from Doolin to Inishmore and back in one day, keep in mind that it’s a long trip to distant Inishmore (1.25 hours compared with 45 minutes from Rossaveal), leaving less time ashore. Instead, consider an overnight stay on Inishmore, or opt for a day trip to nearby, though less spectacular, Inisheer.
Parking in Doolin: With a car, Doolin is easy to reach; without one, it’s better to get to Inishmore from Rossaveal. Parking at the Doolin dock is pay-and-display (€1/2 hours, €5 overnight). Give yourself enough time to deal with parking and the line to pay at the machine.
Buying Tickets: The scene at the Doolin ferry dock is a confusing mosh pit of competition. Two ferry companies operate from three ticket huts with one thing in mind: snaring your business. They have similar schedules and prices.
Doolin2Aran Ferries is run by the Garrihy family (to Inishmore: €25 round-trip, 1.25 hours, generally departs Doolin at 10:00, 11:00, and 13:00, departs Inishmore at 11:30 and 16:00; to Inisheer: €20 same-day round-trip, 30 minutes, departs Doolin at 10:00, 11:00, 13:00, and 17:30, departs Inisheer at 8:30, 12:15, 14:00, and 16:45. They also offer a fun €35 triangular day trip that takes you from Doolin to Inisheer, drops you off on Inisheer for about 3.5 hours, then sails along the base of the Cliffs of Moher before docking back in Doolin (departs at 10:00 and 11:00, has you back in Doolin by 16:45, runs April-Oct, tel. 065/707-5949, mobile 087-245-3239, www.doolin2aranferries.com).
Doolin Ferry/O’Brien Line, run by Bill O’Brien, has been at it the longest, with similar schedules and occasionally cheaper prices. They also offer a cruise along the base of the Cliffs of Moher that includes a stop at Inisheer (tel. 065/707-5618, www.obrienline.com).
No matter which company you choose, it’s smart to check online for discounts. It’s also important to double-check schedules, arrive at least 15 minutes early, be alert, and be patient. Boats can be 30 minutes late...or 10 minutes early. You’re on Irish time.
For details on staying in Doolin, see here.
Aer Arann Islands, a friendly and flexible little airline, flies daily from Connemara Regional Airport, serving all three islands (3/day, up to 11/day in peak season, €25 one-way, €49 round-trip, groups of 4 or more pay €44 each, 10-minute flight, tel. 091/593-034, www.aerarannislands.ie, info@aerarannislands.ie). These eight-seat planes get booked up—reserve as soon as you are sure of your dates (by email, with a credit card). Note that the baggage weight limit is 40 pounds total, so pack an overnight bag and leave your remaining clothes (but not your valuables) locked in the trunk of your car or stored in your Galway hotel.
You can charter a sightseeing-only Aer Arann flight that leaves from the same airport (by reservation only). Cruising at 500 feet, you’ll fly above all three Aran Islands with an extra swoop past the Cliffs of Moher (€960 for seven-passenger aircraft, 35 minutes).
Getting to and from the Airports: Connemara Regional Airport is 20 slow miles west of Galway—allow 45 minutes for the drive, plus 30 minutes to check in before the scheduled departure. A minibus shuttle—€5 one-way—runs from Victoria Hotel off Eyre Square in Galway an hour before each flight. Be sure to reserve a space on the shuttle bus at the same time you book your flight. The Kilronan airport on Inishmore is minuscule. A minibus shuttle (€3 one-way, €5 round-trip) travels the two miles between the airport and Kilronan (stop is behind the Aran Sweater Market).