Ireland is an island. That much I knew before we went there. What I didn’t know is that it’s the third largest island in Europe. (Maybe that random factoid will come in handy one day.) But Ireland also claims about 80 islands of its own. What do you call islands that belong to an island? I still don’t know that.
Ireland’s islands are mostly very small. Some are not even inhabited. We visited one that is, though by fewer than 300 people. The residents of that particular island call it Inis Oírr. The English name is Inisheer. It’s the smallest of a grouping of three islands in County Galway called the Aran Islands.
You get to Inisheer by passenger ferry. The trip takes about 15-20 minutes. Then you wander around admiring the ruins and the weird, medieval-looking property lines. You can also listen to the locals chit-chat in Irish. The Aran Islands are in one of the relatively few districts in Ireland – known collectively as the Gaeltacht – where Irish is still the primary language, not English.
We also visited Ireland’s largest island, Achill. You arrive on Achill Island more conventionally, by bridge. Among other attractions, Achill Island features one of the most beautiful beaches George and I have ever set foot on (and we’ve been on quite a few beaches). Once again, unfortunately, our pictures don’t do the place justice.
There are many other islands worth visiting in Ireland. (Except they’re not exactly in Ireland, if you get what I mean.) We look forward to returning and seeing more of them.
In between our visits to Inisheer and Achill, we spent some time in Galway, the Republic of Ireland’s fourth-largest city. Galway has a lively, youthful, artistic vibe. I would say it’s Ireland’s most Bohemian city.
In Ireland, it can be hard to choose between spending time in urban settings versus out in nature. The people are so friendly that you want to be around them as much as possible and soak up their passion for living. But sometimes a lonely, peaceful setting can be just as wonderful. A place where you can hear yourself think. Or better yet, where you can try not thinking at all.
Again, I almost felt like I was traveling with Craig and George..(if only) The photos were phenomenal and the descriptions fantastic. I’ve visited many of the areas mentioned and Craig’s descriptions took me back. Thanks!!
You’re too kind! Thank you!
Hey Marv,
Your photos are great, though Iran-land is much greener than I thought it would be given it’s location in the arid mountains of Western Asia. Have you and George eaten much falafel on your trip? By the way, where is George, I haven’t seen him in any of your photos. Is he camera shy or are you mad at him? Is he even with you? If so, since you are in Iran-land, please take a photo of George in Persepolis dressed as the ayatollah.
Believe it or not, I did eat falafel in Ireland. It was delicious. And George is in lots of the pictures. You just need to put on your 4D glasses.
What an amazing adventure and photos! I especially love the cottage picture. From your photo descriptions, looks like it might have been located in the village of Cong. Was that place even inhabited? I feel like if you peeked inside you would see the seven dwarfs milling about…
Thanks for your kind words! Cong is definitely inhabited. The day we were there, a bunch of young dwarves and their parents were all dressed up at the church for first communion. I would have snapped a few pics of the event, but I didn’t want to be accused of being a dwarf-ophile.
Craig,
I love your photography skills too. The pictures are really beautiful! Thanks for the ride-along on your trip.
I take full and total credit for all the best pictures on this blog…even the ones taken by George…which is a lot of them.
Haaa. Good ol’ George. Thanks George
But, no! Thank me! I take credit, dammit!
Great pics! So glad you both enjoyed Ireland!
Thanks for reading!