Day 10 - Inisheer in the Rain

 

In the rain with Phil, our tour guide. 

Forecast is for....rain.  And it RAINED. Even out Irish guide was complaining by the end of our tour.


Today was our day trip out to one of the Aran Islands, Inisheer. The three Aran Islands are Inisheer (smallest), Inishmor (largest), and Inishmaan (middle). They are basically an extension of the Cliffs of Moher to the east, so quite rugged. Approximately 350 people live on the island of Inisheer, with tourism and some farming as the main sources of income. The island has been inhabited for at least 5000 years. Bronze age artifacts have been found, as well as the ever present stone forts.


We met our tour guide, Phil, at the Doolin Pier and boarded the ferry for the 15 minute ride to Inisheer. We were a group of 8. The 4 of us and 2 couples from Canada, traveling separately. It turned out to be a fun group. Several of the group had chosen the biking option for the tour, which wasn't going to happen in the rain. So we all chose the horse and covered buggy option. Turns out once we got to the Island, that wasn't an option either. Not sure what happened. Maybe it was so rainy the horses refused to go out. Final option was a van, which was dry. Which turned out to be very important. 





We spent about an hour traveling around the island viewing various sites. An old WW2 mine sweeper that was repurposed as a cargo ship and then was washed up on shore. The stone age fort. Two different middle ages churches. The ruins of O'Brien Castle. Our guide was quite the character. Lots of information. Lots of stories. Some believable, some not. And lots and lots of salty language which we could have done without. 



They call this one the sunken church for obvious reasons. 



O’Brien’s Castle

So many stone walls. They had to get the rocks out of the fields and put them somewhere. 

Cnocraithni - Stone Age fort

We then hopped off the van after the castle visit and walked back into the small village on the island for tea and scones. Very tasty. Phil told us we had to cut the scones a certain way and then layer them with butter, then jam, and finally top them with whipped cream. No other way is correct!





We then had some free time to visit the shops in the village and have a pint at the local pub before heading back to the pier for our return trip to Doolin.  


It was about this time we learned the ferries to the islands for the next two days had been canceled. We had planned on heading to Inishmor tomorrow and spending the night, but that is no longer an option. So we'll have a change to our trip itinerary. Randy will have to do some scrambling. Stay tuned to see what he comes up with. We may head inland since the storms coming sound fierce. 


We then headed off to Galway in our very wet clothes, where we will spend the night, and look forward to a food tour tomorrow…in our rain gear. 

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