Aran Islands, Ireland
Zodiacs were our preferred method of travel this morning as we skimmed across the calm waters to the village of Kilronan, Inis Mor, Aran Islands. These three islands in Galway Bay are noted for their distinctive landscape and fascinating archaeology. The languages here are Gaelic first and English second. This, combined with the austere landscape, gave us a real sense of being somewhere special, somewhere demanding deeper investigation. The fleet of little minibuses (the roads on Inis Mor are very old and narrow) sped us to the winding path that leads to the highest point on the island, a sheer cliff, to see the Bronze Age fortress known as Dun Aongusa (the Fort of Angus). This semi-circular group of massive concentric walls stands on the very edge of a sheer drop of some 300 feet into the Atlantic. Vinnie, our archaeologist, gave us a talk at the site on its history and what its purpose may have been. This site also offers the best view over the tiny island with its thousands of miles (yes, thousands of miles!) of dry stone walls made from the island's own limestone. Later we had time to rummage around in Kilronan and see examples of the world-famous Aran knit sweaters which was the traditional garment worn by the hardy Aran fishermen.
After lunch we sailed the short distance east to the Cliffs of Moher for a neck-craning upwards view of these enormous sea cliffs which most visitors to Ireland only ever see from the top looking giddily down. The sun had broken through by this time and the colors of the various rocks that the cliffs are composed of rendered a mosaic of shades, shapes and stratifications. A slight distraction to this spectacle was afternoon tea served on the open deck so that we might take full advantage of the calm sea, cloudless sky and astonishing Cliffs of Moher.
Evening saw us skimming ashore after dinner for an impromptu pint of Guinness in a small pub in the town of Lisconnar. This was not a scheduled stop but as we had some spare time and no need to rush to our next day's destination we thought that a short visit to a local hostelry would be a fun adventure. It was! The short drive back to the ship was hauntingly beautiful with a full moon guiding us back to the ship for a restful night's sleep after a very full and satisfying day.
Zodiacs were our preferred method of travel this morning as we skimmed across the calm waters to the village of Kilronan, Inis Mor, Aran Islands. These three islands in Galway Bay are noted for their distinctive landscape and fascinating archaeology. The languages here are Gaelic first and English second. This, combined with the austere landscape, gave us a real sense of being somewhere special, somewhere demanding deeper investigation. The fleet of little minibuses (the roads on Inis Mor are very old and narrow) sped us to the winding path that leads to the highest point on the island, a sheer cliff, to see the Bronze Age fortress known as Dun Aongusa (the Fort of Angus). This semi-circular group of massive concentric walls stands on the very edge of a sheer drop of some 300 feet into the Atlantic. Vinnie, our archaeologist, gave us a talk at the site on its history and what its purpose may have been. This site also offers the best view over the tiny island with its thousands of miles (yes, thousands of miles!) of dry stone walls made from the island's own limestone. Later we had time to rummage around in Kilronan and see examples of the world-famous Aran knit sweaters which was the traditional garment worn by the hardy Aran fishermen.
After lunch we sailed the short distance east to the Cliffs of Moher for a neck-craning upwards view of these enormous sea cliffs which most visitors to Ireland only ever see from the top looking giddily down. The sun had broken through by this time and the colors of the various rocks that the cliffs are composed of rendered a mosaic of shades, shapes and stratifications. A slight distraction to this spectacle was afternoon tea served on the open deck so that we might take full advantage of the calm sea, cloudless sky and astonishing Cliffs of Moher.
Evening saw us skimming ashore after dinner for an impromptu pint of Guinness in a small pub in the town of Lisconnar. This was not a scheduled stop but as we had some spare time and no need to rush to our next day's destination we thought that a short visit to a local hostelry would be a fun adventure. It was! The short drive back to the ship was hauntingly beautiful with a full moon guiding us back to the ship for a restful night's sleep after a very full and satisfying day.
