I was already staying in Ireland for almost a year before I truly fell in love with the island. And this happened during my weekend at the Aran Islands. Let me show you around a little.... hop on board!
The Aran Islands are a group of 3 small islands on the west coast of Ireland, near Galway. You can reach the islands by ferry. The boats leave at Rossaveal (near Galway) or Doolin. You could also hop on a very small plane, leaving from Inverin. I took the boat from Doolin and started at Inisheer, the most east island. Inisheer has a population of around 260 people.
Inisheer
As soon as you set foot on this island, it is like you went back in time a 100 years. Yes, there are a few cars around, but they are hardly used. I got myself a horse and cart and a very friendly coachman. While driving around you notice the many dry stone walls, that are so typical for Ireland. These walls are a result of the creation of stone free grazing land and are nowadays great natural boundaries of land and the animals on it. What stands out here is that the dry stone walls still look brand new. It looks like they were put together just a week ago. In the rest of Ireland, they are often overgrown with moss and bushes. Here, according to my coachman, because of the clean air, the stones are super clean.
I didn't stay long at Inisheer, but I was lucky enough to see the shipwreck Plassy. Due to one of the nasty storms that can happen in that area it ended up on the island in 1960 and became a tourist attraction.
(picture from google image)
I then skipped Inishmaan and took the boat to Inishmore where I would stay the night.
Inishmore
If you plan on ever going to Inishmore, make sure you book your accommodation far enough in advance. Since it is a small island, there aren't that many hotels. I was able to find a room early spring, with the risk of terrible weather. But as you can tell from the pictures: I was pretty lucky that weekend! Apart from that I only stayed one night and I should have booked a longer stay.
A must do after arrival is renting a bike before they close their store. Make sure you get a map and let them explain a little about the difficulty for every route. For instance, the route through the mainland has many hills might not be the best way to go on your way back. The northern route is the one along the coast and is pretty flat. I started with that route from my starting point (the black X).
I didn't do much research (stupid me) because I didn't expect too much. And thought about just cycling around. However, it became clear there are a number of very interesting landmarks that you have to visit.
The major one would be Dún Aonghasa(number 6 on the map), a fortress build just on the edge of a cliff, probably founded around 1100 BC. You'll need a bit of a hike, but it is well worth it.
On your way back to the town, make sure you visit the wormhole (number 5 on the map). I missed it because it was getting dark, but it is an amazing natural rectangular shaped pool in the rocks which is regularly used for the Red Bull cliff diving competition. And then, with all this fresh air and exercise it makes sense to finish the day in "The Bar", one of the few bars in town ;)
The next morning, people will ask you how you like the island and if you went to the pub last night. It is such a small community that they know you are not from around and since there hasn't been a ferry yet, they know you stayed the night. It was this moment when I decided that I had to come back and explore more!
PS. Don't forget to buy something warm in the Aran Sweater Market!! I love that place!