T R AV E L V O L U M E I I I i n i sh mor e i r el an d AMY BERRY
i n i sh m or e i r el an d S tre w n l i ke limest on e ch ips h am m ered off the j agged west c oast, the thre e A r a n Isl a n ds — I n ish more, I ni shm aan, and Ini sheer — c onfront the wild Atlantic with stubborn grit. There’s a stark beauty about the Aran Islands a n d t h e simple lives t h eir inhabi tants ek e out of a m ean sea and le s s t h a n si x in ch es of t opsoil. Steep, r ugged c l i ffs for ti f y the southern fl an k s of e a c h i s l a n d . W i n d s w e p t ro c k y f i e l d s , s t i t c h e d t o g e t h e r b y s t o n e w a l l s , b l a n k e t t h e in t erior s. An d t h e i sl and’s prec i ous few sandy beac hes hi d e in c o ve s th at dimple t h e n or t h e rn shores. The v ast m aj or i ty of the i sl a n ds ’ vi si t o r s m a ke a day t rip t o Ini shm ore (﴾the bi ggest of the i sl ands)﴿, whe re t h e y t a k e a min iva n t ou r t o Dún Aenghus (﴾the m ust-‐ see Iron Age for t )﴿, g r a b a simple lu n ch , t h en spend an hour or two browsi ng through the fe w sh o p s o r sit t in g a t a picn ic tabl e outsi de a pub wi th a pi nt of Gui nne s s .