Aran Islands

27th August
Galway - Aran Island - Galway
We woke to stormy skies and heavy rain. The rain just seemed to be getting heavier. A decision had to be made - continue with our plans to go on a tour to the Aran Islands or just go for a drive around Galway. We decided to just hope that Irish weather would be kind to us and go on the tour. We walked up to the coach station and met the driver. Michael Faherty Tours - a one man operation - the driver, tour operator, commentator, managing director, advertising manager and an Aran Islander from a family who has lived on the island for generations. In fact Michael's grandfather - also Michael had been a tour guide on the islands in the 1930's taking people around on a horse and trap.
So the bus set off from the coach station with 10 optimistic passengers. It took 3/4 hour to drive from Galway to Coonamoore to catch a fast ferry to the main island Inishmore. Three islands make the Aran Islands the other two being Inishmaan and Inisheer. The total population of the three islands is 886 with 820 of them living on the main island. Inishmore also has 5 pubs 2 catholic churches, 1 grocery shop, a bank which opens 2 days a week, one doctor, no chemist shop and one policeman divided into 13 villages. Each village only consists of about 10 or so houses. It took the ferry 45 minutes to cross the seven miles.
There were patches of blue sky - sunshine, things were improving!!!! We got onto the island bus and headed off. The landscape is so different to what you think of when you think of Ireland. No green rolling hills here - in fact hardly any green at all. The islands are made up on granite rock as it was left after the ice had melted at the end of the ice age. Some of the photos show how the land would have looked originally. The early settlers started moving the rocks into borders as fence lines. These are all dry stone walls. Some are several rocks deep others are just one row of rocks that are done so that the wind just blows through. Different families had different styles of placing the rocks. Some huge rocks are just left to lie in the middle of fields where they landed centuries ago. Geologists are sure that there was a tsunami on the island in the 16th century.
Our first stop was to a pre historic fort Dun Aongus. There is a 1km walk up to the ancient fort. It is rough walking. The granite rocks sticking up in the paths makes the going slow. Closer to the entry of the fort there are more standing stones placed there in ancient times to slow down approaching enemies. The views from the top are worth the effort of getting there. It is built high on a cliff edge. No safety rail exists these days and so care is needed as it is quite a drop into the Atlantic Ocean.
From there our next stop was the seven churches. Oh no I thought.....just like Europe with churches everywhere.....but no.. this was the ruins of seven little churches built somewhere between the 6th and 9th centuries. These churches are thought to have been built by a group of monks who had come to bring Christianity to the islands. The buildings had become run down and eventually Oliver Cromwell and his men set them on fire. They have laid in ruins ever since. There is a cemetry there but you have to have family members already buried there to be buried there yourself. Michael explained that the celtic cross has the circle to represent the sun to remind them that they were pagans before Christians.
There are several thatch cottages, some in ruins others lived in. It costs 10,000 euros to re-thatch a roof and that should last for 25 years. Another of the wrongs Oliver Cromwell was responsible for was enforcing the payment of taxes. People were taxed according to the size of their windows. If you couldn't pay the family was evicted and put out into the street and their house burnt to the ground. TB swept through the islands and wiped out 80% of the population.
We had several walks about to look at different things. It was a very relaxed and most enjoyable trip. Time to get back onto the ferry, then back on the bus to Galway.
We had a great pub meal at the Spanish Arches Hotel and then a walk home.....in the rain....at least the rain held off for the most important part of the day.