We traveled on Tuesday to Inisheer, the smallest of the three Aran Islands off of Ireland’s west coast, to walk the hills, explore ancient ruins, play at the beach, and enjoy local food at a seaside pub. It required that we wake up and leave Galway by 7am to make the 10am ferry from Doolin. This tip – taking the ferry from Doolin instead of Galway – was from a woman we happened to be eating next to at The Green Barn in Kildare. She suggested Doolin given the shorter boat ride and the view of the Cliffs of Moher on the way to the Aran Islands.

The Aran Islands are remote, accessible only by ferry, lined with tiny roads that wind up and down the island. It is a haven for hikers and bicyclists. We were walking the island as novice explorers and had an enjoyable day taking it all in.

A Tourist Haven

Inisheer is home to approximately 200 residents but anywhere from 500 to 2,000 visitors trek the island each day during peak tourist season (like today). Many tourists come prepared to cycle and hike; we were not those tourists and in fact we immediately opted for the nearest horse-pulled carriage as we disembarked in the pelting rain. Other than the guide at the reigns of the horse, we did not have a lot of information by way of learning the history.

Inisheer is the smallest island geographically but the second-smallest population-wise (Inishmaan has the least people). Inishmore is the biggest in terms of people and land size).

Stone walls reveal elegant simplicity

My highlight of the day was seeing the stone walls lining the fields. Our guide called the road the horse walked down “Wall Street.” The latticework of hand-placed stones lined the route and our guide explained that the stones were native rocks that had been dug from the fields to clear the space for grazing animals. The stones had to go somewhere, so they were used to create the walls. Perhaps most interesting was the way the stones were stacked: no mortar to seal them together, but rather interlocked with spaces deliberately left in between to allow water to flow through, thus relieving pressure from water overflow in the heavy rains. It was a simple, elegant, and efficient use of resources adapted to the landscape. The walls then of course also acted as barriers for the livestock which seemed to be mostly cattle. The quieter places of the island, especially the areas lined with these stone walls, felt timeless and gave a sense of the history of the place.

Inisheer is a rural landscape and lined with walls made of interlocking stones that are stacked together without mortar; the system leaves small holes between the rocks which allows any excess rainwater to flow through.

The ship-wrecked Plessey

One notable site on the island is the wrecked Plassey, a ship-wrecked steamship. This captured Arjun’s imagination in the lead-up to the trip so we were excited when the horse carriage pulled up to reveal the massive hulk about 100 yards away. We had to approach it over an inlet of waterworn stones, but once we did it was worth it. Seeing such large, sharp-edged rusty scrap at such a close range was a unique experience.

The beach

There was a beautiful beach that had a blue hue reminiscent of Barbados, a place Dev and I visited years ago. It was a lovely spot to relax on after a long walk up and down the hills of the island.

Ancient ruins

There was an ancient 1,000+ year old church buried in a hill by drifting sands. A small cemetery surrounds the church. We stepped down into the tiny nave and could see the altar, a small mural engraved in rock. Not much was written about the site but the accessibility to it was enjoyable.

There was also an old castle called “Caislean Ui Bhriain (O’ Brien’s castle)” that dates from the 15th century. There was a large antechamber with a smaller room adjacent to it accessible via an open iron gate. The castle was located at the top of the island and it offered the most stunning views of the day, giving us a 360-degree view of the fields and water surrounding us. All in all, a fun day on Inisheer.