Last Updated on February 15, 2024
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The Aran Islands are a beautiful wild place out in the Atlantic near Galway, an incredible place to just get away from the hustle and bustle and crowds. They are one of the best places to visit in Ireland.
It was September when I set off for the Islands. I was certainly glad I had come now, for the crowds, numbering about 2,000 per day in July and August, were gone. And the winds of winter, and all they bring to the Aran Islands, hadn’t yet set in. It was a spectacular time to spend 24 Hours on Ireland’s Aran Islands.
After I arrived I dropped my luggage at my B&B and wandered off towards one section of Aran’s seaside cliffs, across a huge flat limestone area so barren that little could grow on it. It was very similar to The Burren in County Clare. On my way back I walked along a little road and passed a few houses, one of which had a dog walking atop the stonewall in front of it.
Checkerboard Pastures
All around horses and cows grazed in their little checkerboard pastures. It was all surprisingly quiet, not a sound except for the wind and the clip-clop of an occasional pony pulling its cart, or traps as they’re called here. The were the sounds you hear on all over the Island.
Landscapes often mold one’s personality, and I couldn’t help but notice how taciturn some of the Aran Island men were. Some of them were driving cars, which you could hear coming from a mile away and several passed me as I walked. As they did, each driver would give me an almost imperceptible nod. And, from the steering wheel, often raise his index finger in a little “hello.”
I soon realized that they were treating me as a local. All of the other tourists were either on bikes, rented down at the ferry, or in traps.
Soon I was returning my own imperceptible. And feeling right at home. And wondering if 24 hours on Ireland’s Aran Islands was really enough time.
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