Inis Mór: Day 20 – Ireland 2014

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28 April 2014

We weren’t supposed to go out to the Aran Islands again. I don’t remember exactly what we had planned, but I remember there being a cairn of some sort and a few other stops. The original plan was to spend one day out at the Aran Islands, but after learning about what was available on both Inis Mór and Inis Oírr, we knew we had to see both. So throwing plans to the wind, we decided to spend one day seeing Inis Oírr and doing the cliff cruise and the next day fully out on Inis Mór.

Best. Decision. EVER.

Second best decision? Skipping the toasted tuna sandwich this time.

Inis Mór

We caught the earliest ferry available and set off for Inis Mór. (Lucky I took a picture! Check out this website for more info on the ferry company we used). I stayed inside for the entire journey, worried I’d have a repeat of yesterday’s seasickness. Lucky for me, I was fine. The ferry ride is about an hour and fifteen minutes, so we were more than ready to get off the boat and start exploring. Just like the day before, renting bikes was our first stop!

Now, here is where Billy made a mistake that he has yet to live down. He even tried to rectify it in 2018, but the weather was not on our side. You see, I’ve always wanted to ride a tandem bike. I don’t know what the fascination is with them, but in my head, they are romantic and lovely and all kinds of fun. The bike shop had tandem bicycles. I desperately wanted one. Billy absolutely DID NOT. His logic was that he likes to ride fast, and I prefer a leisurely stroll. He’s not wrong, but I absolutely did not care. I wanted that beautiful tandem bike.

In the end, he won. We got separate bikes and I was just a mite grumpy about it. To make matters worse, there was something wrong with the brakes on my bike. The back break was always lightly ‘on.’ Pedaling on a flat surface provided a good amount of resistance, so you can imagine what going up an incline was like. I’ll admit, I complained about it. Quite a bit. And it STILL comes up in conversation to this day. It’s one of those things that didn’t feel funny at the time but is definitely funny now! And to Billy’s credit, he had planned to take me back to Inis Mór during our surprise trip in 2018 for the sole purpose of getting that tandem bike. It didn’t work out, but I gave him mad credit for the effort.

Dún Aonghasa

After renting our bikes, we headed out in search of Dún Aonghasa (widely pronounced Dun Angus). First off, if Dún Aonghasa is not on your bucket list, it needs to be. It’s an extraordinary place to visit and is absolutely awe-inspiring. It is also a place of mystery. No one has an exact time frame for when Dún Aonghasa was built or what its purpose was. It is commonly referred to as a fort and it does indeed have defensive walls. Three, to be exact, plus a band of jagged rocks meant to slow or hinder approach on foot. There are thousands of these stones. Excavations have produced evidence of metal-working, a few houses, burials, and even foreign wares such as amber beads. And yet, we still don’t know what exactly the place was used for.

Dún Aonghasa sits right on the cliff’s edge, facing the Atlantic ocean. Attack by sea was impossible. Attack by land was not easy either. Growing food was difficult, if not impossible, because there was very little soil. Supporting a community seems unlikely, so we’re left to speculate. Was it a place for learning? Trade? Religion? We may never know.

Standing At The Edge

We saw Dún Aonghasa from quite a distance as we approached. It loomed ahead, mists from the crashing ocean far below hanging over it. We pedaled on, slowly approaching (even slower than what would have been normal because of the STUPID BRAKES ON MY BIKE. At least I’m not bitter about it, right?)

The structure loomed ever larger, and before we knew it, the winding lanes lined with low rock walls led us straight to the entrance. Once inside the main walls, it’s hard to imagine a life here. The space felt so small, but I tried to imagine structures or houses. I tried to imagine a life standing at the edge. I wonder if the edge has always been an open drop to the ocean below or if there was ever some sort of barrier that disappeared over the centuries. Either way, there isn’t one now. And I mean nothing. Just a 285 foot (87 meter) drop to the crashing sea. If you’ve never seen an aerial photo of Dún Aonghasa, I highly encourage you to check this out (scroll all the way down for the photos). It’s impressive, to say the least!

Standing at the edge was terrifying. Even looking back at these photos, my stomach drops. There was a French couple near us and the woman was taking pictures of the man. He was balancing on one foot, leaning out over the edge and I kept thinking, ‘Oh my God, I’m about to watch someone plummet to their death.’ Luckily, he was fine, but COME ON. Look at that drop!

I had no shame in laying on my belly and crawling over to take a look down. Scary stuff! After wandering the edge of the cliff, we took in the rest of the fort for about 40 minutes or so. Take our word for it; a visit to Dún Aonghasa is worth it!

Shots from Dún Aonghasa

The Seven Churches

Our next stop was the Seven Churches. While the name would indeed imply seven churches, there are only two at the site. Once one of the biggest pilgrimage destinations on the west coast of Ireland, it is now a quiet, serene place. The shells of the churches stand watch over the cemetery while the sound of the sea breaks in the distance.

I don’t remember a lot about this little stop of the day, but I do remember the calm. It’s like the whole world stopped while we were there. The sun was beaming, the ocean was a vibrant blue, and Ireland was everything I’d always dreamed it would be. We soaked up the peacefulness of the Seven Churches. Like many other places we’d visited, we were the only two there. It was like these little spots of beauty were clearing the way for only us to enjoy them. It was an absolute dream.

The Seven Churches

Enjoying The Island

If I’m being honest, we probably could have spent an entire week on Inis Mór. I know that most travelers and tourists just want to hit the highlights and move on to the next one, but I loved this island. It has a beauty that leaves you speechless and the people there are some of the nicest you’ll meet. We could have biked around the island for days and we wouldn’t have grown tired of it. We took in as much as possible before heading out to the last stop of the day.

The Aran Sweater Market

If the Aran Islands are known the world over for one thing, it’s their sweaters. I was absolutely set on buying one from the island itself, even though we’d seen them in many shops throughout Ireland.

Not only are these sweaters a symbol of Aran, but they also have a rich history. Each stitch holds meaning, whether it be religious (Jacob’s Ladder stitch, Tree of Life stitch, Holy Trinity stitch) or represents life on the island (Irish Moss stitch, Diamond stitch). As the years went on, clans or families developed their own unique patterns and they were passed down through generations. These sweaters are linked to those families, those clans. They were so heavily tied together that sweater patterns were used to identify bodies of sailors that washed up on the beaches after accidents at sea.

At the Aran Sweater Market on Inis Mór, you can see the official register of the historic patterns of Aran. There is so much history, so much life, tied to these simple articles of clothing. If you’re interested in purchasing one on your trip to Ireland, I highly recommend that you purchase one from their birthplace. Go to the Aran Sweater Market on Inis Mór.

We spent a few hours there and walked away with two sweaters each and a blanket. They may not be the cheapest sweater available, but the history and quality make them worth the money spent.

Our sweaters, worn during the rest of this trip and on future adventures as well.

Farewell, Inis Mór.

We were nowhere near ready to board the ferry when it was time to go. We wanted to stay so badly and we’ve been dying to go back from the second our feet left the shore. Inis Mór gave us one last piece of beauty to marvel at before we departed; water so clear it’s like it wasn’t even there.

As we sailed back to the mainland, watching the island and its rich history slip away, I know that we left a piece of hearts out on the wild stretches of stone and sea.

Last Night In Doolin

Once back on the mainland, we headed out to dinner again at O’Connor’s for another great night (check out our last post to learn more). We watched the sunset and marveled at how lucky we were to be there.
Cheers,
Lydia and Billy