Week 3: The Aran Islands

This week was full of classes and scheduling, so Crystal and I decided to treat ourselves this weekend and go to the Aran Islands. Well, technically, we only went to one of the islands – Inis Oirr – but that’s beside the point. The Student Union on campus organizes trips and sells discounted tickets for places all over Ireland. So, we took advantage of that, finally left Limerick and headed out for a long day on the island with some friends.

After about an hour long bus ride, we arrived in Doolin and got on a ferry. The ferry ride to the island was cold and a little wet as there were some rough waters, but it was only a short 30 minutes before we got our land legs back and hit the road. Our tour guides pointed us in the right direction, then they went off and did their own thing (swimming in the ocean and sleeping on the beach).

The “tour” was self-guided, based on a map and information sheet our guides gave us. It was absolutely beautiful. Essentially, we walked from each historical relic to another and almost covered the entire island. Since words can’t do this trip justice, I’ve decided to attach a couple pictures to show you what we were up to today. (Disclaimer: even these pictures don’t do it justice – you should just come see it for yourself).

Here’s a map of Ireland to give you an idea of where we went:

The first stop on our self-guided walking tour was the ruins of a church and cemetery dating back to the 10-14th century:

Next, we went to the Plassy Shipwreck (1960):

During low tide, there are lots of rocks, jellyfish, anemones, and muscles to investigate:

Then, we made our way to the O’Brien Castle (1804):

(In the background is the signal tower and old national school)

View from the hill the castle sits on:

All across the island are these rock walls that separate the different plots of land. Stories say that the natives didn’t know what to do with all the rocks they came across when trying to clear their fields, so they piled them up, and eventually that turned into the maze that exists now:

Attempting to read the map:

Eventually, we gave up on finding the Well of St. Enda and explored the cute little town:

Famished from our 8 mile walk, we needed a *healthy* snack:

Fudge in hand, we set off to relax on the beach:

 

And, of course, we had to put our feet into the ocean, just to say we did:

Well, that’s the gist of it, folks. I hope this gives you another taste of Ireland and what we’ve been up to. Feel free to check out our Facebook pages for more pictures, if you’re interested. Tune in next week for an even deeper look into our lives here. We’re cooking up a something special for you guys!