There are three main islands: Inis Mór (Inishmore), Inis Meáin (Inishmaan) and Inis Oírr (Inisheer). Inis is the Irish word for island. Mór is the Irish word for big, Oírr means east, and and Meáin means middle. To see how aptly named they all are, check them out in Google Maps.
The islands are a protected Gaeltacht, or region where Irish* is still the primary language of the residents. Many other aspects of daily life on the islands preserve the old ways as well. Thatched cottages can still be found, fishing and farming are the primary trades, and stone fences cover the islands.
There are many archaeological sites on the islands, including some fort ruins that have been dated to at least the 1st century AD, and are believed to possibly be as many as 4000 years old.
Despite being in the general area on both of my previous trips to Ireland, I had not made it over to the islands, so they were high on my list of Must-See things for this time, particularly since I was going to be so close. Ferries and flights to the islands leave from Rossaveal and Inveran, respectively, in County Galway, with additional ferry service available from Doolin in County Clare.
Talking with my housemate Aoife, she recommended Inis Meáin, as it is the one of the three that has been least trampled by tourism. It certainly was that. Though it is the middle island in terms of size, as well as location, it has the smallest population of the three: a mere 154 people per the 2006 census. As mentioned previously, there is only one pub. There is also very little in terms of sights to see. Two old forts, a beehive hut and the remains of a couple of old churches cover most of it. There is also a cottage where author/playwright J.M. Synge spent much of his time, and it was from his time on Inis Meáin that he drew the inspiration for the themes in Playboy of the Western World and other works.
Near the western edge of the island is a small stone enclosure that Synge apparently built called Cathaoir Synge, or Synge's Chair. Just big enough for one person to sit inside and be protected from the sides, it sits high atop the cliffs over looking the ocean and Inis Mór. It was Synge's favorite spot on the island, and apparently where he did a great deal of his writing. I found it to be a lovely place to sit, completely undisturbed, playing some tunes, both mornings that I was there. The video clip at sunset posted previously was shot near Synge's Chair, but a bit further up the hill.
In addition to the 150 or so year-round residents and numerous livestock, the other main "residents" of the island are students who go there for three-week spans to live with families on the island as part of a specialized program to improve their Irish language skills. I had the pleasure of meeting and chatting up with several of them in the pub Wednesday night, as a few of them had brought fiddles and pulled the bodhran down off the wall behind the bar for an impromptu session. Luckily, I'd brought my whistle down in the hopes that something just like that might pop up.
Apparently, I was pretty fortunate that it did, because weeknight sessions are not particularly common, and are never planned. It just sort of depends on who shows up and if they decide to bring some instruments down and play or not. It was also great fun as I got to spend a good chunk of time banging on the bodhran, in addition to contributing a few tunes on the whistle (and even one on the harmonica, too!).
As I alluded to, I opted to fly to the island rather than take the ferry. It was only 45 euro round trip, where the ferry would've been around 25. But if there's one thing I enjoy more than being out on a boat, it's being up in a plane, and small planes particularly! Plus, given the location, I figured a flight to the islands would give a fantastic, bird's-eye view of The Burren, the Cliffs of Moher, Connemara and Galway Bay. Unfortunately, while it was clear and sunny, it was also pretty hazy, so the views of the mountains in Connemara and The Burren were somewhat limited on the flights, but it was still very cool.
I already linked to the photo galleries from the island (see two posts below, "There's only one pub on the whole island"), but here are a few additional videos:
* People in most parts of the world would refer to the language as Gaelic, however the Irish are very particular about referring to their particular language as Irish. Gaelic, in fact, is a more general term for a family of languages that in addition to Irish, includes Manx and Scots Gaelic.
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