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The Aran Islands are a group of three islands located at the
mouth of
Galway Bay off the west coast of Ireland.
The largest island is
Inishmore also known as Aranmore. The
middle and second-largest is
Inishmaan and the smallest and
most eastern is
Inisheer. Irish is a spoken language on all
three islands, and is the language used for the names of the
islands and many of the island's villages and place names.
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Approximately 14 kms (8.7 miles) in length and 3.8 kms(2.4
miles) in width, Inishmore is a walker's paradise. Feel the
peace and listen to the silence, between sea and sky, on
craggy cliffs or all along a quiet, indented coastline. Aran
has an abundance of wildlife and some 437 varieties of wild
flowers. If pedalling is your pleasure hire a bike in
Kilronan village and meander at will around this lovely
island or take a pony and trap, or a guided tour with a
modern minibus, from the pier.
Visiting Aran
You can travel to Aran by ferry boat, directly from Galway City Dockside (90
minutes), Ros a Mhil (Rossaveal) in Connemara (35 / 40 mins), Doolin in Co.
Clare (20 mins) or by air from Indreabhan (Inverin) under 10 mins.
You can cycle or see Aran on horseback along the pathways of
history on this unique island. Swim in unpolluted seas, study rare flowers
and wildlife, write, paint, take pictures, fish for a specimen or just
relax, unwind and learn spoken Irish in this bilingual community. And when
the Celtic twilight comes, drop in for a quiet pint, or enjoy a wealth of
Irish music and dance, at a village or spontaneous session in an Island
pub.
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Dun Aengus
Dun Aengus is a fort situated on the edge of a cliff at a height of 100 meters
overlooking the Atlantic on the Aran Islands, Inishmore, County Galway. It
consists of a series of concentric circular walls, the innermost; the citadel
encloses an area approximately 50 meters in diameter with 4m thick walls of
stone. These walls have been rebuilt to a height of 6m and have wall walks,
chambers, and flights of stairs as well. Two walls of stone that form
semicircles from one cliff edge to the other surround it. The innermost of these
two walls encloses an area approximately 130m by 100m, and the outer wall
encloses about 400m by 200m. (Flanagan 1992) Between the two "outer walls" is a
small enclosure that extends as if an extension to the first wall. The restored
walls are likely noticeable because of the use of mortar. The original walls
were of dry stone construction. In all the enclosed area is comprised of
approximately 14 acres.
Aran Sweaters
The Aran sweater first began to emerge in the early part of the twentieth
century. The events from which the modern Aran arose from the ashes of earlier
and less intricate designs are often debated, but it is reasonable to assume
that at least one circumstance had a profound effect on the Aran's evolution.
Aran women had always been knitting fisherman's jerseys, or 'ganseys', as
islanders call them, to help their husbands and families weather the
often-treacherous island conditions. However, during the last decade of the 19th
century a government motion to improve the economic livelihood of densely
populated rural areas began setting up lacemaking, knitting, and crochet schools
around the country. It is reported that artisans were sent from these schools
during the last years of the 19th century to teach Aran women how to knit
intricate patterns. In the years to follow the women of Aran combined their new
skills, artistic brilliance, and the traditions of life upon the sea to create
the sweaters we know today. Indeed, the very story of our lives is woven into
the sweater - every stitch has a meaning. For instance, there is the 'Ladder of
Life' stitch, which symbolizes the pilgrimage to happiness, the 'Tree of Life'
which grants good luck to its wearer, and even the stitch of 'Marriage Lines'
with zigzags that represent the ups and downs of married life.Aran Heritage Centre
A guided tour through the Centre will take you back more than two thousand years
in the life and times of the Aran Islands. Vivid exhibitions here will introduce
you to the landscape, traditions and culture of these harsh, yet beautiful
Atlantic Isles.
The Centre is some three minutes walk from the village of Kilronan. Step up from
the Ferryboat or the village and step into the essential Arainn, a window into
the lives and times of a resilient people. The Aran Centre vividly reveals the
art of curragh making (traditional island boat). Fishing helped the Aran
Islanders of past generations eke out a precarious living. The displays show how
the bare limestone was literally the bedrock on which they laid down layers of
sand, seaweed, and precious soil to nurture their tender crops.
Famous People
Liam Ó'Flaherty was born in 1897 in gGort na gCapall on the South coast of
Aran. He fought in the First World War and later spent several years travelling
the world before he published his first novel, Thy Neighbours Wife in 1923. His
short stories in both Irish & English are often based on beautifully captured
moments in the lives of the people, the animals and the elements of Aran.
Máirtín O'Díreáin has been
called "Ireland's unacknowledged poet Laureate". He was born in 1910 in Sruthán
but left to work in Galway in 1928. His poems, most of which were inspired by
life on Aran were all written in Irish, but many have been translated into
English.
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