The Aran Islands: Inishmòr

The pier where the ferry arrived.

Our ferry! It stormed right as we were getting on the ferry to come here and everyone got soaked walking from the bus to the boat! The water was very rough on the way over and several people got sea sick; however, as soon as we landed the skies cleared up and it didn't rain another drop. I took the chance and rented a bike anyway! I got really lucky with the weather.

Sunshine! In Ireland!

I forget the exact number, but there is a very small percentage of topsoil on the island. To be able to farm for sustinence, the locals had to first remove enough rocks from a piece of lqnd to be able to farm it. That is why there are rock walls EVERYWHERE. Also, to make more topsoil, the native moved tons and tons of seaweed and manure onto the land that they had cleared.

I tried to find the pot of gold, really I did...but I just couldn't get my bike to go fast enough!

This is where I stopped to have lunch.

There were wild blackberries and rasberries growing along all of the stone walls on the Island. I ate a few for desert!


The tide was out. All of the brown stuff is seaweed. There is alot of seaweed everywhere on the west coast it seemed when the tide was out.

So calm and peaceful! Look how the wind ripples the water and blows the reeds!

Most of the Island was dedicated to farming cows and horses. (I never thought of raising cattle as farming, but that's what they call it.)