July 22, 2024

July 22, 2024

Last night we turned the TV on for the first time. The final All-Ireland Hurling Championship is being played in a Dublin Stadium. The contest is between County Cork and Clare. Clare won by a single point in a close match. Hurling is uniquely Irish and is like a cross between hockey and rugby.

From Galway City we drove due West along Galway Bay for thirty minutes until we reached Connemara Airport. We are early but as soon as we arrived the airline said they were ready to board our flight. After weighing both of us we joined seven other passengers and climbed inside the tiny plane. The plane is just wide enough for two skinny people. Humorously the staff also added a handful of Amazon packages in the back.

We took off and nine minutes later we landed in Inishmore, the largest of the three Aran Islands. The pilot must not be instrument rated as we flew very low keeping above the ocean but below the low clouds. We were met by a van driver who drove us and the next planeload into the main village of Kilronan. There we arranged a tour of the island.

Our first stop is on the opposite side of the island at the top of a low hill. From the entrance we have a twenty-minute hike up a rocky slope to visit Dun Aonghasa, or Fort of Aonghas. This is probably the most spectacular of all the ancient stone forts in Ireland.

While this hill fort is also a ring of dry-stone construction, it is only a half circle. However it straddles the edge of a 300-foot ocean precipice! I am generally not afraid of heights but even I didn’t get too close to the edge. The wet slippery stones are too dangerous. This is just the opposite of the Cliffs of Moher. There are no barriers whatsoever to prevent a catastrophic fall. The view in both directions is impressive. This whole side of the island is a sheer cliff.

It is believed this fort was first constructed three thousand years ago. The danger must have been severe to place this fort at this location. But to add to its defense, the approach to the fort is spiked with upright stones to make an attack difficult. This is a rare addition to Irish Stone forts.

Aimee and I are happy we decided to fly versus taking the ferry. We arrived an hour earlier than the tourist horde and pretty much had this exquisite site to ourselves. We had a mid-morning cup of hot chocolate while we waited for our van driver to return.

For the next hour, our driver gave us a tour of the rest of the island. It was slow going as the narrow one-lane roads are clogged with vans, bikers, and walkers. It is also drizzling now. The most impressive feature of the island is its resemblance to the Burren on the mainland. The majority of the island is a vast stretch of limestone pavement. Despite the rough terrain, surprisingly six hundred people live on the island.

Back in the main village, we tried to have a quick lunch. Despite picking easy entrees, we waited a long time to get our food. With the arrival of the ferry passengers, tourists are overwhelming the infrastructure of this tiny island.

While waiting for our driver to return us to the airport, we got a call saying the clouds are too low for flights to take off. We are diverted to the nearby ferry. This must happen frequently as Irish weather is so unpredictable. Forty minutes later we are on the mainland where another van returns us to the airport so we can collect our car.

We then drive forty minutes north to our next accommodations in Oughterard. We have dinner in a traditional thatched hut pub. Aimee selects the Irish Stew. This is her comfort food that her late mother made for her as a child.

After dinner we shopped in the cute town, and then made a drive-by visit of Aughnanure Castle. This is another medieval Tower House. It looks in great condition. Unfortunately the flight cancellation meant we arrived too late to tour it.