Ireland's Aran Islands
The Aran Islands, along Ireland's west coast, are a Gaelic treat. They consist of three limestone islands: Inishmore, Inishmaan, and Inisheer. The largest, Inishmore (9 miles by 2 miles), is by far the most populated, interesting, and visited. The other islands, Inishmaan and Inisheer, are smaller, much less populated, and less touristy. While extremely quiet, they also have B&Bs, daily flights, and ferry service. For most, the big island is quiet enough. For more information, look up an old issue of National Geographic on the Aran Islands (April 1981).
The landscape of all three islands is harsh: steep, rugged cliffs and windswept, rocky fields divided by stone walls. During the winter, severe gales sweep the islands; because of this, most of the settlements on Inishmore are found on its more peaceful eastern side.
There's a stark beauty about
these islands and the simple lives its inhabitants eke out of six inches of
topsoil and a mean sea. Precious little of the land is productive. In the
past, people made a precarious living from fishing and farming. The layers
of limestone rock meant that there was little natural soil. Farming soil has
been built up by the islanders — the result of centuries of layering
seaweed with sand. The fields are small, divided by several thousand miles
of drystone wall. Most of these are built in the Aran "gap" style,
in which angled upright stones are filled with smaller stones. This allows
a farmer who wants to move stock to dismantle and rebuild the walls easily.
Nowadays, tourism boosts the local economy. The 800 residents of Inishmore (literally "the big island") greet as many as 2,000 visitors a day. The vast majority of these are day-trippers. They'll hop on a minibus at the dock for a 2.5-hour tour to Dún Aenghus (the must-see Iron Age fort), 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.
For a closer look, consider spending the night. As in Dingle, people on Inishmore rent rooms inexpensively. Rent a bike or hire a horse and buggy, and explore. Like the rest of Ireland, the Aran Islands have a deep and mysterious history. The islands are a Gaeltacht area. While the islanders speak Irish among themselves, they happily speak English for their visitors. Many of them have direct, personal connections with America and will ask you if you know their cousin Paddy in Boston.
Inishmore's famous Iron Age fortress, Dún Aenghus, is the most impressive of its kind in all of Europe. For 20 centuries, angry waves have battered away at its black foundation, 300 feet straight down. Even with nothing to guard, it still stands strong, overlooking the sea from a cliff-edge perch. While Inishmore's residents are outnumbered by day-tripping tourists on some summer days, if you arrive early or late, you can be completely alone in Dún Aenghus. Spread-eagled on the slate, beak in the wind, gawking straight down at the point where Europe crashes like an egg into the Atlantic — you become part bird.
Getting to the Aran Islands
By ferry from Rossaveel and Galway: Island Ferries sails to Inishmore from Rossaveel, a port 20 miles west of Galway. The company sells tickets at the Galway TI and runs a 45-minute shuttle bus from Galway to the Rossaveel dock (3/day April–Oct, 2/day Nov–March, 40-min crossing; coming from Galway, allow 2 hrs one-way including 45-min bus ride; €25 round-trip boat crossing plus €6 round-trip for Galway–Rossaveel shuttle bus, WCs on board). Shuttle buses depart Galway (from Merchants Road in front of Kinlay House) 60 minutes before the sailing and return to Galway immediately after each boat arrives. Ferry schedule for April–Oct: from Rossaveel at 10:30, 13:00, and 18:30; from Inishmore at 8:30, 12:00, and 17:00 (plus 19:30 June–Aug). Island Ferries has three offices in Galway and one in Salthill: one at the Galway TI, another across from Kinlay House on Merchants Road, the third on Forster Street, and the fourth inside the Salthill TI (tel. 091/568-903, www.aranislandferries.com).
Aran Islands Direct, owned by the islanders, has three boats that sail to all three Aran Islands from Rossaveel. Their modern fleet is the only one with electrical stabilizers to smooth the ride on rough seas, and their schedule to Inishmore is similar to Island Ferries' (above). It's €25 from Rossaveel, plus a €6 shuttle ride that picks up at their two Galway offices: Merchants Road (near Kinlay House) and Forester Street opposite the TI (tel. 091/566-535, www.aranislandsdirect.com).
Drivers should go straight to the ferry landing in Rossaveel, passing several ticket agencies and pay parking lots. At the boat dock, you'll find a convenient €5-per-day lot and a small office selling tickets for Island Ferries. Check to see what's going when and for how much.
By ferry from Doolin: This ferry is handy if you're in Doolin, but it's notorious for being canceled because of wind or tides. If you're traveling by car and have time limits, don't risk sailing from Doolin. Without a car, you can travel on from the Aran Islands to Galway by the bigger boats, so Doolin might work for you. But it's a longer trip to Inishmore (some sailings make a stop at Inisheer en route), so consider an overnight stay on the islands (to Inishmore.
There are three ferry companies in Doolin with similar schedules competing hard for your business. While they all promise to get you to Inishmore in under an hour, every one of my crossings in the past five years has included a stop on Inisheer en route, making the actual crossing time about 90 minutes. Aran Doolin Ferries has been at it longest (to Inishmore: €20 one-way, €38 same-day round-trip, 2/day, 1.5 hrs, leaving at 10:00 and 13:00, returning at 11:30 and 16:00; to Inisheer: €15 one-way, €25 same-day round-trip, 5/day, 30 min, leaving every 1.5 hrs, 10:00–17:30; tel. 065/707-4455, www.doolinferries.com). Doolin Ferry offers similar schedules and prices (tel. 065/707-5555, www.doolinferry.com). And the Jack B is your third option (tel. 065/707-5949, mobile 087-245-3239, www.mohercruises.com). No matter which company you choose, it's smart to phone a day or two ahead to confirm schedules and prices.
By plane: Aer Arann, a friendly and flexible little airline, flies daily and stops at all three islands (3/day, up to 9/day in peak season, €45 round-trip, groups of 4 or more pay €40 each, 10-min flight). These flights get booked up so reserve a day or two in advance with a credit card. Their nine-seat planes take off from the Connemara Regional Airport (not the Galway airport). It's 20 slow driving miles west of Galway, so allow a solid 45 minutes to get there, plus 30 minutes to check in before the scheduled departure. A minibus shuttle — €6 round-trip — runs from Kinlay House on Merchants Road an hour before each flight. The Kilronan airport is small (baggage is transported from the plane to the "gate" in a shopping cart). A minibus shuttle between the airport and Kilronan costs €5 one-way (2 miles from the airport). For reservations and seat availability, contact the airline (tel. 091/593-034, www.aerarannislands.ie).
Updated for 2008. For lots more information, check out our best-selling Rick Steves' Ireland guidebook — or join us on one of our free-spirited tours in Ireland.