Western Ireland Tour, Day 2:  the Aran Islands

After a rather memorable night in Galway ("the slap"), we arose early on the morning of Tuesday, May 9, to take the ferry from Spiddal on Galway Bay out to Kilronan, the main harbor of Arainn or Inishmore, the largest of the 3 Aran Islands.  These islands, somewhat like the Blaskets in Co. Kerry, long maintained a traditional, almost medieval, way of life.  When J.M. Synge visited the islands in 1898, he found there the way of life, the attitudes towards nature and existence, the dialect, and even some of the plots that contributed to the making of his great plays.  

Our stay on Inishmore was memorable for many reasons, not least of which was our amazing afternoon spent at Dun Aenghus, one of the great stone forts of all Europe.  The fort is perched on the far western edge of Inishmore, and its cliffs drop 200 feet into the sea.  Its 3-layered walls are 18 feet thick and reach 20 feet high.  Nobody is quite sure of the purpose of this massive construction, set on the very edge of the known world.  But on the day of our visit, temperatures reached 84 degrees--the warmest recorded day in the history of the islands!  We thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon.

The gang (Carey is taking the picture) at Dun Aenghus

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