The Aran Islands at the mouth of Galway Bay

There are three islands that protect the entrance to Galway Bay and they are steeped in history: Inis Mór (Big island), Inis Meáin (Middle island) and Inis Oírr (East island). Inis Mór, (or Inishmore in English) the largest of the three, has a good natural harbour. We anchored in protected waters (except NE-erly) inside the moored RNLI Lifeboat in Kilronan Harbour and dinghied ashore with our bikes.

County Galway has one of the most extensive Gaeltacht regions where Gaelic is spoken as a primary language and all the signs are written in Gaelic as well. It can be interesting to find your way when the signs on the road don’t match the names on the map. Biking is the way to go along rural roads that have changed only minimally in centuries. The cottages are still white washed and thatched, and the stone walls are spectacular. The style of stone work is particular to those islands; just like the patterns knit into sweaters is unique to each locale.

The massive stone jetty at the head of the harbour has all manner of vessels tied to it and there is an ongoing construction effort to expand the harbour. It was dredged in 2008 and has plenty of depth, with works scheduled for completion in 2010. There are stone steps on the port side of the jetty where dinghies tie up for access to shore.

There are several bike rental shops, restaurant, pub, visitor’s centre, hostel, and shops along the harbour front. There is also a public rest room facility. Inishmore has a large Spar supermarket not far from the harbour that is well stocked with all sorts of provisions including fresh breads, liquor, and fresh meats and vegetables. It is deceptive from the outside, but huge on the inside and even has some household items and an ATM. Next door is a coffee shop in which to pass some time with a paper on a questionable weather day. A tiny Bureau de Change can be found in a house on the road to the supermarket. In the evenings, it is not unlikely to find traditional music and dancing wafting out of the pubs and onto the streets.

The bike ride along the upper road provides great vistas across the Bay and the open ocean, while the lower road winds its way along the sea, amongst small farms and seal colonies. We biked up to the prehistoric village ruins of Dun Aengus, where a 16-acre ring fort was built right up to the edge of 100-metre cliffs. The walls form a semi-circle that stops at the dizzying edges; there never was a full circle according to the archaeologists and geologists. The outside perimeter of the third ring of walls is protected by one of Europe’s finest examples of Chevaux de frise, a defensive system of angled standing stones that prevent surprise attacks. It is a spectacular sight. On the way back down, we stopped at the visitor center and the cafe, only to be pleasantly surprised at the delicious lunch fare offered, with fresh breads, interesting ingredients.

There are three other forts on Inis Mór, and one on the neighbouring island of Inis Meáin or Inishmaan, which has a brand new harbour that we have not had a chance to visit yet. These are rugged islands reminiscent of days long gone in most other places and are well worth exploration.

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