A Visit to the Aran Islands

Here, on the very edge of Europe, is an Island rich in the language, culture and heritage of Ireland, unique in its geology and archaeology and in its long tradition of gentle hospitality. Here is a place to sense the spirit of Gaelic Ireland, to touch the past. Aran will take you back to an Ireland of Celts and Early Christians. This is an island of great peace and tranquility, but it is also an island of great fun and activity.
A timeless land in an endless sea, weathered monuments on awesome cliffs, great labyrinths of limestone, meandering walls, patchwork fields, quiet beaches and a welcoming island people, this is Aran in Galway bay on the west coast of Ireland

The Aran Islands are richly unique. Landscapes of Limestone rock, a stretch of cliffs facing the moods of the Atlantic, Large bolders, rock formations, and unusally clean beaches. It is also a place steeped in emmense cultural heritage and history. Gaelic language is the first language of its residents. It is considered the foothold of Irish culture. The Islands themselves are an outdoor museum of artifacts of religous and cultural importance. The three Aran Islands, Inis Mór (Big Island), Inis Meáin (Middle island) and Inis Oírr (East island) are situated in a north westerly south easterly direction at the mouth of Galway Bay, Ireland.

Athena on the Cliffs of Inis Meai`n , Aran Island September 2008

She had the good fortune of celebrating her twentieth birthday in Ireland while she studied at the

University of Cork

Fall semester '08.

"There is never an end to the Journey road.

Tolkien had Bilbo say:

The road goes ever on and on

out from the door where it began

now far ahead the road has gone

and I must follow if I can.

Pursuing it with weary feet

Until it joins some larger way

Where many paths and errands meet

And whither then I cannot say?"