Page 13 - Sphere No.26 (Mar 2010)

Issue 26 11
A Journey Back in Time
The three Aran Islands – Inis Mór (Big Island), Inis Meáin (Middle Island) and Inis Oírr (East Island)
– are situated at the mouth of Galway Bay. There are about 900 inhabitants on Inis Mór, making it by
far the most populated of the islands. The main village, Kilronan, has a harbour that handles most of
the tourist trade.
Inis Meáin boasts two forts that date back to the fourth and fifth centuries, while Inis Óirr, the smallest
island, features a castle built in 1585 and the ruins of a ninth century church.
The landscape of all three islands is harsh, with steep, rugged cliffs and windswept, rocky fields divided by
stone walls. In the past, people made a precarious living from fishing and farming, and that the islands remained
inhabited is a tribute to the tenacity and resourcefulness of the inhabitants.
For many visitors, the desolate beauty and remote location of the islands make them an ideal location
for quiet contemplation. While tourism has brought more money into the local economy, today’s islanders
balance membership of the global community with preservation of their unique cultural heritage.
It has never been a more important
time for people and businesses on
these islands to be connected