Inis Mór

 

Inis Mór - ( Inish More meaning big island ) as its name suggests is the biggest of the 3 Aran Islands. Lying in a North- Westerly direction across Galway Bay Inis Mór is approximatley 12km in length and 3km in width. Its principle port and village is Kilronan ( Cill Rónáin ) and it is here that most visitors are first introduced to the island.

Kilronan has seen a lot of development in the past 10 years and is a lively village with many of todays' modern conveniences yet traditional culture and practices have survived.

 

Music

Traditional music is still popular on th island and visitors are often likely to walk in on impromptu music sessionsin the local pubs. The ragus international Irish Music, Song and Dance Shows run shows every summer in Halla Rónáin. The hour long show of hard shoe dancing interwoven with great music and haunting airs from the rich Sean Nos tradition of Connemara and Arainn. Connemara and Aran have a reputation for been musically talented, and dancing in the bars is the norm.

 

Culture

Despite all the hardships the islands have endured over the years, the Aran Islands have stubbornly retained its strong, unique culture and way of life.

The culture and the way of life has been a major source of inspiration for world famous writers, film-makers, and artists through out the years, These include John Millington Synge, Robert Faherty and local man Máirtin ó Direáin to name but a few.

The Hertiage Centre ( Ionad Arann) chronicles the difficult existance of the island' population as they etched out a living on small farms of barren limestone, or in the dangerous waters of the Atlantic and you can also find extensive evidence of this on the many stone plaques visible around the island, erected in memory of those who lost their lives at sea. There are samples of the Hooker Boats that Aran and Galway are famous for and the Currach (rows boats) that were used for all the islanders needs.

 

'The Man Of Aran' by Robert Faherty.

The Man of Aran is a 1930's film recorded over a two year period that captures the essence of Aran and the everyday struggles of Islanders to etch out a living in a harsh enviroment battling with the elements.

This remarkable film makes for interesting viewing and is run daily in the Heritage Centre in Kilronan.

 

Language

Gaeilge (Irish) is the first language of the islands; population but all are bi-lingual. Inis Mór is one of the last strong - holds for the irish language and each year hundreds of students ( Gaelgoirí ) travel to the irish schools on the Island to help improve there standard of Irish. During the Comwellian occupation in the 17th - 19th Century, Irish was forbidden and English was the official language, despite the threat of persecution Islanders contuined to speak Irish in private and the language survived. The Islanders are very proud of their language and it is spoken just as much among the younger population.

 

Transport

There are three modes of transport available to visitors whilst on the island and these can all be picked up at the pier in Kilronan.

Bicycle hire ~ is the most popular form of transport, there are over a thousand bikes available for hire at the pier in Kilronan allowing visitors to travel the island at there own pace.

Mini Bus Tour ~ There are a number of companies offering mini-bus tours of the island, all tour guides are native to the Island, are well informed on the islands' history and statistics and have a good sense of humour. The mini bus tours are about two and a half to three hours long, with about an hour allowed at Dun Aonghasa.These mini-buses double as taxis in the evenings.

 

Pony and Trap ~ The traditional means of transport of the Islanders' is still available to visitors and you can choose from one of the many pony and carts available at the pier.

Historical Sites

Dún Aonghasa (lit meaning Fort of Aongus) is a spectacular stone fort sited on the highest point of the cliffs (300ft) on the southern coastline, it offers an unrestricted view down along the west coast of Ireland. Dún Aonghasa is considered one of the most important pre-historic sites in Western Europe; it became a national monument at the end of the 19th Century and is conserved by the Heritage Services. Recent excavation found evidence of human activity dating back over two and a half thousand years. Covering an area of 14 acres, the interior of the hillfort is divided into an outer, middle and inner enclosure by three curved walls terminating at the cliff face.

Outside the middle enclosure the fort was fortified with a large broad band of closely set pillars (chevaux de fries).

Na Séacht dTeampall (The Seven churches) This name is applied to the ruins of two small churches and some domestic buildings. This ancient monastic site founded by St Breacán and is the finest example of monastic settlement on Inis Mór.

The Island was an extremely important place of pligrim in ancient times and the presence of parts of three impressive Celtic high crosses from the 12th Century on this site give an indication of its' importance. Unfortunately, this cross was broken by Cromwellian soldiers in the 17th Century and then used to make repairs to a castle they were occupying; the remains of the other two crosses lie in the church at Teaghlach Einne.

Teaghlacht Einne (lit translation, house of St Enda) is a little church, half buried in sand in Cill Einne (Killeany) graveyard on the south-east end of the Island.

The graveyard is at least 1500 years old and is still in use as the main burial ground of the Island. It contains the grave of St. Enda who dies around 535 A.D. and is the patron saint of Inis Mór.

The Round Tower was originally about 35 metres high and dates back to the 9th Century. It was damaged during Cromwellian times and later by lighting and presently only stands at 4 metres.