The largest of the three Aran Islands, Inishmore, can be reached by ferry from Rossaveel (or Galway) on the Connemara coast. You can see most of the island in a day trip, though I wished I'd taken more time to absorb the grandeur and isolation of the place. There is only one road running down the island's length, and there are minivans, bicycles or horse drawn carriages to hire in the harbour at Kilronan.
The must see is the ruined prehistoric fort of Dun Aonghasa, which not only perches on the edge of the cliff high above the ocean, but incomprehensibly also faces the full force of the western winds. A mysterious and majestic site.
The Ordnance Survey of Ireland map of The Aran Islands at 1:25,000 will give you some reference points and serve as a souvenir. Once you're bitten by the place I would recommend you to dive into Tim Robinson's wonderful book Stones of Aran: A Pilgrimage. It is an obsessive survey of the minutiae of the island's landscape, history and myth - a unique masterpiece. Unfortunately it is now out of print, but it is definitely worth tracking down (I know the author lived locally).
Author: Douglas Schatz
Date: 1 May 2000
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