Day 5 of our adventure found us traveling on the Wild Atlantic Way to Rossaveel, where we boarded a ferry bound for the Aran Islands. Our warm weather luck was gone and the cool and rain found us. Our boat ride helped to understand why they call it the “Wild Atlantic” as it felt like our boat turned sideways a few times. After a 40-45 minute ride we arrived in Inishmore, the largest of the three islands.
The island, with only around 800 residents, is known not only for their landscape but also the Aran Sweater or jumper. So of course that means shopping is a must. We actually ended up buying ours back in Galway but there are shops on the island. The island is 12 square miles, so many enjoy to explore the island by bicycle. You can rent bikes right where the ferry docks. We chose the less intense option of a tour bus. After driving up the hills, with very tight roads for both busses and bikes we were happy with our choice.
The first stop was to the pre-historic fort of Dún Aonghasa, perched on top of the 300 feet high cliffs, this site dates back to 1100 BC. The trail up took about 20 minutes, with a few rocky spots where you have to mind your step. Once on top, the views are incredible. If you are brave enough to stand close to the edge and look down, you are treated to the magnificent crashing of the Atlantic against the island 300 feet below. After admiring the view and checking out the remains of the fort the rain clouds rolled in and we made the slightly slippery trek back down. We enjoyed a delicious meal in the local, thatched roof restaurant, Teach Nan Phaidi, before boarding the bus to continue our tour.
We continued our tour around the island, amazed to find that the island once was covered only in rock. The early inhabitants had to bring sand and seaweed from the ocean to fill in the cracks of the rock in order to grow potatoes and vegetables. There were several remains of churches, including the Seven Churches, ironically only has two churches, which was one of the earliest Irish Pilgrimage sites. After the tour we walked through the the shops before returning via ferry to the mainland.
Back to the hotel to freshen up before heading out to the cobblestone streets of Galway lined with pubs and shops. We shopped, ate dinner at the Pie Maker, and then were drawn to The Quays bar. The live music flowed out to the street, and we were not disappointed. They had a great Irish Band playing a mix of both Irish and American classics. We enjoyed a few pints, we sang, we danced and then we took our old bodies to bed! Have to rest up for Athlone to Dublin tomorrow.
