The Amazing Aran Islands - Day 1

A much touted day or overnight trip from Galway is to the Gaelic speaking Aran Islands, just off the west coast.  There are three - from largest to smallest they are Inis Mor, Inis Meain, and Inis Orr.  We decided to take an overnight trip to Inis Mor and spent two full days there.  The tourist board doesn't have to pay me to say that they are amazing.  We lucked out with fantastic weather and spent the days hiking and biking all over the island.  I am not exaggerating that we took hundreds of photos, so here are just a few of the best.

Okay, so maybe the weather wasn't fantastic the entire time we were there... Shortly after we decided not to rent bikes on Monday, the weather gods blessed our decision by unleashing a phenomenal rainstorm.  Luckily for our cameras and packs, I had some travel ponchos to keep us and our valuables dry.  Luckily for fashion, it stopped raining after about 20 minutes and we could take the ponchos off!

[Note from Chad: my Mom got Sarah those "emergency ponchos," so we thought we'd try them out.  Unfortunately, they're a little smaller than I thought, and they are basically a jacket replacement - perhaps not so useful when you're already wearing a gore-tex jacket.  Perhaps we'll take these instead of gore-tex to Southeast Asia later.  Unlike Sarah, I think they make a brilliant fashion statement, especially when accessorized with a bucket hat.]

We decided, basically by accident, to hike up to the Black Fort (one of the many ancient forts on the island) while we were waiting for the room at our B&B to be ready.  This turned out to be an awesome decision - hardly any other tourists go up there.  We shared the spot for a while with a group of French hikers but it was otherwise deserted.  Maybe it's because it's not easily accessible by bike, and thus not highlighted on the bike rental companies' maps that are handed out to everyone stepping off the ferry.  But for whatever reason we had the cliffs and the fort almost to ourselves.

Stone walls as far as the eye can see.

Action shot from the top of the cliffs.  Don't worry, I'm just taking a photo, not thinking of a really creative way to jump off.

And then there's the fort itself.

Good luck attacking this coast line.

Only three sides required - there's no way anyone is getting up the cliffs on the fourth side!

[Note from Chad: these forts were first built in the Bronze Age - probably for wealthy/ruling families, since most of a settlement would have to live outside the walls (no room inside).  The semicircles would have been small houses with thatched roofs.  The inside of the fort has terraced walls so you can easily get up to the top to defend attacks.  Being on a clifftop not only cuts off that side from attack, but also is a show of strength to anyone cruising by.  The stones have no mortar - they're just stacked.  But the walls are vertical, and obviously the result of good craftsmanship.]

Ruler of the fort for the day.

Followed by the long walk home.

We spent the evening at a local pub where Chad ate fresh fish caught by a local fisherman and befriended the musician playing that night by dropping his Irish last name.  A great first day!

[Note from Chad: Jimmy Corgan was the session musician.  When he found out my last name was McCarthy, he sat at our table (beside the peat-briquette fire) and played a couple of songs by Jimmy McCarty (closest he could get to my name, I guess), an Irish jockey-turned-folk-song-composer.]