New Years on the Aran Islands

Inishmor is one of three of the Aran Islands (famous for their hand knit sweaters), off the west coast of Ireland, and is Gaelic speaking (the people, not the island itself). We spent three nights there, including New Year’s Eve. It’s small – only 12 square miles.

Amazing place, and great spot for New Year’s Eve. The pub was jammed, and we had seats right by the musicians (traditional Irish), which included two teenage brothers who were amazing. One picture shows the main road in Kilronan, the largest village on the island. 800 or so winter residents.

Did lots of walking, and first went to Dún Aengus, which is a Bronze Age ringed fort on the cliff edge (300+ foot vertical drop). Next day, along with another couple we met, we hiked cross country to Dún Dúchatair (the Black Fort), another cliff edge ringed fort, but not easily accessible to tourists. We had the place to ourselves. The picinic of Irish whiskey and dark chocolate tasted great. Did I mention it was windy and cold? That's the picture with the lower, curved rock walls, within the inner ring of the fort.

The arched doorway (in Black&White) is Na Seacht dTeampaill (the Seven Churches), this site of some early Christian monastic ruins going back about 1500 years. Interspersed in the site are graves going back hundreds of years, and modern ones. One of the two remaining stone church ruins is dedicated to the founding saint of the site, St. Brecan.