Radford University Study Abroad Program
Dr. Jolanta Wawrzycka
European Literary Trails
Bliss Mulligan's Web Site 2003
Aran Islands

                       

                                                       

            Me on rock @ Dun Aengus                                 Stove/ Oven                                               Dun Aengus

    Our trip to the Aran Islands was one of my favorite days in Ireland. Getting up early was a little rough since we were out late the night before celebrating Lindsey's Birthday, but it was definitely worth it. It took about an hour on the bus to get to the ferry that was going to be taking us to the Aran Islands. The ferry ride was only about forty-five minutes long, but it was a cold forty-five minutes if you were not inside.

There are three islands that make up the Aran Islands. Inishmore is the largest of the three and the one that we went to. Once we arrived at the island we had some tea before we began our tour of Inishmore. There are hardly any cars on the island and you have to get special permission to have one if you are a resident. There are about 600 people who are currently living on Inishmore. On our tour we saw many old cottages and lots of stone walls. Our tour guide, Dara, told us that there were 7,000 miles of stone wall on Inishmore. One of the cottages that we drove by was that of the oldest woman living on the Aran Islands who is 109 years old.

Some Info. on Inishmore

95% of the limestone is made up of the skeletons and skulls of small animals.

The island will eventually erode into the sea.

All the forts on the island were built about 2,000 years ago.

Few of the island fishermen can swim. This comes from the general belief that the sea can't be trusted and that being able to swim is somehow a challenge to it.

Cliffmen: would kill hundreds of birds on moonless nights by tying a rope around their waist and climbing down the cliffs.

People of Arainn have to make their own soil from sand, seaweed, and handfuls of soil that has been gathered from between the rocks. This makes their cabbages and potatoes very sweet.

The stove/ oven from the picture above was what the people living in the fort of Dun Aengus cooked their food in. Rocks would be heated in an adjacent fire and when they were red hot they would be rolled onto the slab (shown) filled with water and the water would immediately begin to boil. The meat would be cooked in this boiling water.

 

IRELAND