Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [343]
History
Little is known about the people who built the massive Iron Age stone structures on Inishmór and Inishmaan. Commonly referred to as ‘forts’, they are believed to have served as pagan religious centres. Folklore holds that they were built by the Firbolgs, a people who invaded Ireland from Europe in prehistoric times.
It is thought that people came to the islands to farm, a major challenge given the rocky terrain. Early islanders augmented their soil by hauling seaweed and sand up from the shore. People also fished the surrounding waters on long currachs (rowing boats made of a framework of laths covered with tarred canvas), which remain a symbol of the Aran Islands.
Christianity reached the islands remarkably early, and some of the oldest monastic settlements were founded by St Enda (Éanna) in the 5th century. Enda appears to have been an Irish chief who converted to Christianity and spent some time studying in Rome before seeking out a suitably remote spot for his monastery.
From the 14th century, control of the islands was disputed by two Gaelic families, the O’Briens and the O’Flahertys. The English took over during the reign of Elizabeth I, and in Cromwell’s times a garrison was stationed here.
As Galway’s importance waned, so did that of the islands, and their isolation meant islanders maintained a traditional lifestyle well into the 20th century. Up to the 1930s, people wore traditional Aran dress: bright red skirts and black shawls for women, baggy woollen trousers and waistcoats with crios (colourful belts) for men. The classic heavy cream-coloured Aran sweater, featuring complex patterns, originated and is still hand-knitted on the islands.
MODERNITY HITS THE ISLANDS
Until the last few decades, the islands were, if not centuries from civilisation, then at least a perilous all-day journey in unpredictable seas. Air services began in 1970, changing island life forever, and today fast ferries make a quick (if sometimes still rough) crossing.
All three islands now have secondary schools, but as recently as a decade ago, students on the two smaller islands had to move to boarding school in Galway to complete their education, which involved an abrupt switch from speaking Irish to English. Farming has all but died out on the islands and tourism is now the primary source of income; while Irish remains the local tongue, most locals speak English with visitors and converse with each other in Irish.
Information
Although high summer brings throngs of tourists, services on the islands are few. Only Inishmór has a year-round tourist office as well as a sole ATM; the majority of places don’t accept credit cards (always check ahead). Restaurants, including pubs that serve food, often reduce their opening hours or shut completely during low season.
There are a number of books about the islands, most no more than pretty pictures and florid text. However Monuments of the Aran Islands (€4) is an excellent recent publication. The official website (www.irelandsislands.com) covers the islands.
Getting There & Away
AIR
All three islands have landing strips. The mainland departure point is Connemara regional airport at Minna, near Inverin (Indreabhán), about 35km west of Galway. Aer Arann Islands ( 091-593 034; www.aerarannislands.ie) offers return flights to each of the islands several times daily (hourly in summer) for adult/child/student €45/25/37; the flights take about 10 minutes, and groups of four or more can get group rates. Try for the first or second row for stunning views of the scoured bedrock (best is the seat next to the pilot). If you work out some complex timings, you can visit more than one island in a day. A bus from outside Galway’s Kinlay House hostel Click here to the airport costs €3 each way.
BOAT
Weather permitting, there’s at least one boat a day heading out to the Aran Islands. Galway has agents selling ferry tickets on and around Eyre Sq as does the tourist office.
Operating year-round, Island Ferries ( 091-568 903, 572 273; www.aranislandferries.com; 4 Forster St,