The Aran archipelago (Aran) consists of three islands, the most visited and the largest of which is Inishmor (Inis Mor), - its size is 12 km by 3 km. Two other smaller islands are Inis Meain and Inis Oirr.
Rocky landscapes of the Aran Islands are considered the most beautiful in the world.
How to get to the Aran Islands
The Aran Islands can be reached by plane from Inwaran or by ferry from Dulin and Rossavila.
By ferry
The water link connects the islands with the Rossavil port in Galway County and Doolin in Clare County. Ferries leaving the port of Rossavil are larger in size, but Doolin is geographically closer to the islands.
Cliffs and Aran Cruises and Doolin 2 Aran Ferries organize cruise flights from Dulin to the Inishir Islands, Inishmore, and an additional tour to the cliffs of Moher.
Doolin Ferries will organize a ferry service from Dulin on small boats.
From Rossavila (Galway County), the ferries to Aran Island Ferries and Aran Direct are sent to the islands. You can get from Galway to Rossavil by bus, which will depart an hour and a half before the ferry leaves from the Galway's Kinlay House Hostel. The fare will be 6 EUR.
On the Eyre Square in Galway there are many tourist offices that can arrange the delivery of passengers to the Aran Islands at almost any time.
By plane
For those who do not have much time, a variant with a flight from Inverana airport to Connemara on the airline's flights (Aer Arann, website) is suitable.
All three islands have runways .The departure point is the regional airport of Minna, near Inveran, located 35 km west of Galway..The local airline carries out daily flights to each of the islands (5 flights per day), in summer the flights are performed every hour .The cost of the flight will be 45 EUR .The flight lasts only 7 minutes! And groups of 4 or more tourists can apply for group tariffs .Aircraft are small, so do not be surprised if you take a seat in the office next to the pilot .At first glance it's scary, but the views are opening up stunning .
Transport
A good way to see the island is to see it on foot or by bike. On Inishmor Island, you can rent a bicycle for 10 EUR per day in the company "Aran Bike Hire", whose office is located 25 meters from the main port in the village of Kilronan on the island of Inishmore.
The company "Aran Direct" in the high season organizes internal ferries between the islands. From October to April, the only way to move from island to island remains the option, when you should go back to Rossavil, and from there, take the ferry going to another island.
The locals still use "kurrah" as a transport, a kind of Irish boat with a wooden frame, on which the animal's hide stretches. The way of building and design of boats are unique for every region of Ireland, where they are distributed.
Aran Islands hotels
Accommodation is easy to find on Inishmore Island, but on other islands this will be more difficult.
Climate
The climate of Ireland is temperate marine. On the islands all year round there is a soft and humid weather, as the southwesterly winds blowing from the ocean and the North Atlantic current bring warm air masses to the coast.
Rain is the most common form of rainfall. Humidity is high and ranges from 70% to 100%. The average temperature in January is 7 ° C, July - 16 ° C.
Money
The currency can be exchanged on all three islands. However, it is worth considering that only Inishmore has an ATM located in the only supermarket on the island. Keep in mind, the supermarket is not round the clock, it closes in the evening.
Kitchen
On the island of Inishmore, almost all restaurants are concentrated in the town of Kilronan. The restaurant "O'Malley's at Bayview" is located near the "Aran Sweater Market & Museum". In walking distance from Fort Angus there is another good restaurant "Tigh Nan Phaidi". You can buy food in the supermarket "Spar", not far from which is an American bar (American Bar).
On the island of Inishman you can have a snack in restaurants located at the hotels, for example, in "Hotel Inis Meain" and "Tig Congaile".
On the island of Inishir, you can have a snack at Teach an Tae, or try Irish home cooking at the Fisherman's Cottage Café.
Shopping
On Inishmore there is a good grocery store "Spar", located 5 minutes walk from the main port. From local products you can buy woolen products (for example, sweaters), produced by a unique way of knitting, the homeland of which is the Aran Islands. In the recent past, "Arana sweaters" were knitted by hand, and they were known far beyond Ireland. Now these sweaters are produced predominantly using machine knitting. Learn about the history of Aran mating and buy a sweater as a gift at the Aran Sweater Market & Museum, located in the village of Kilronan on the island of Inishmore.
Entertainment, excursions and attractions of the Aran Islands
On the island of Inishmore there are several prehistoric forts, the exact date of construction of which is not determined .The most famous and visited fort of the Aran Islands is Dong Aonghasa - in the Irish mythology of the "god of youth and love" - located on the edge of a 100-meter cliff, which offers a stunning view of the Atlantic Ocean .The fort consists of a series of concentric circular walls and a citadel covering an area of about 50 meters in diameter, with walls 4 meters thick .The walls were completed and grown to a height of 6 meters: now there are stairways and rooms, where you can walk .
The fort "Dun Eochla" is located on a hill in the center of the island, and the fort "Dun Eoghanachta", also built on a hill, is located in the western part of the island far from the sea. Also interesting is the O'Brien Castle on Inishir Island, built in the 14th century.
The Church of St. Brendan, located on a hill in Killeani on the island of Inishmore, is considered the smallest church in the world.
Stone hut in the form of a hive "Clochan na Carraige". Its form is interesting - the outside is round, inside is square.
From any of the islands you can make a cruise to the cliffs of Moher (Cliffs of Moher, website), located near Doolin .120-meter high, sharply torn down, and the diversity of the animal world that lives on the rocks are of greatest interest and attract tourists from around the world..The rocks are equipped with special observation platforms, and the museum "Atlantic Edge" is located, inviting visitors to an amazing journey that takes several billion years ago to the prehistoric times when the continents formed on the planet Earth, and allowing you to see the underwater world of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast Mohair cliffs .Another attraction of Moher is the O'Brien Tower, which, thanks to its location at the very edge of the cliff, offers a magnificent panorama of .