Blogs from Aran Islands, County Galway, Ireland, Europe

Winding down to exiting temps in the 60's including a fair amount of rain for those in the 90's. Not sure which we prefer at this point. This post will contain pictures from Dingle, Inishmore in the Aran Islands and Portrush in Northern Ireland. Seems the star of this group is Inishmore courtesy of Dun Aengus and the accompanying cliffs with the Cliffs of Moher running a close second. Dun Aengus is a Bronze Age Fortress constructed for a reason we are unable to discern. As you will see the area around the Fortress is largely barren limestone offering little inducement for cultivation. Nonetheless, the fortress was built on the edge of seaside cliffs with stacked limestone. Aside from the sights we engaged in another lengthy conversation, on this occasion, with a couple on holiday from ... read more

Saturday, January 17, 2015 - My roommates and I took a day trip out to one of the Aran Islands, Inis Mor. To get to the Aran Islands from Galway, we took a shuttle about 1 hour north of the city and then an hour ferry ride out to the Islands. The shuttle bus was rather scenic along the western coastline of Ireland and also had great views of the mountains. The ferry boat was also very scenic with the mountains and exploring Galway Bay. However, the waters were a bit choppy and did not make the water as enjoyable as it could have been. (It was not as smooth as the ferry boats back in Seattle, and I don't know if Dr. Shepherd from Grey's Anatomy would have liked ferry boats as much if he ... read more

Wednesday May 16 - Today my Irish cousins Christy, Noel, and I went to the Aaron Islands and Dun Aengus. It was very impressive and frankly I have been to the Cliffs of Moher 3 times and I think the Aaron Islands and Dun Aengus has them beaten by far. Much more interesting. My cousin Noel drove us to Rossaveal which is west of Galway and we caught the ferry to Inish Mor. There is absolutely nowhere to get anything to eat or drink at the ferry dock so if you want something get it before going there. The first parking lot is a very long walk to the ferry so go by it and there is another parking lot across from where the ferry leaves next to the Handicap Parking lot. Both lots charge 5 ... read more

We finally set sail from Kilronan early Thursday with the intention of going straight to Inishboffin but the winds were NW F4-5 and right on the nose. We tacked back and forth for hours and at one stage we were 5miles SW of Eerigh Light ttruing to get into a favourable position to round Slyne Head. But it was not to be. Having left at 0630 we were looking at an ETA of 2100 so decided to cut in to Roundstone. That was a great decision because as soon as we north we had fair winds oon opur port. We navigated with care through the approaches to Roundstone. I was last here on FR with Ray about six years ago. With Moritz on the tiller we sailed right up to a mooring without turning on the ... read more

Thursday, October 7: Happy 80th Birthday to my Dad! This morning we were up early to catch a tour bus to the ferry and on to the Aran Island of Inishmore. We walked to the city centre and made a quick stop to buy a plugin adapter for our laptop. The clerk in the store was very helpful but I couldn't understand a word he said--seemed mostly like mumbling and reminded me of a character in a movie I once watched but I still haven't recalled the movie. The bus trip took about an hour and was a nice break for Ed from driving. We drove through County Mayo along Galway Bay getting an eyeful of the Connemara landscape. We caught the ferry at Rossaveel and had a lulling ferry ride out of the bay to ... read more