Aran Islands

No run this morning as we headed to Doolin to catch a ferry to the smallest of the 3 Aran Islands - Inis Oírr. The island is only 2 x 3 kms with a population of about 260. We were fascinated by what appeared to be many, many small pens divided by stone walls ( over 2000km of wall) all over the island. Ones immediate thought is that they must have a lot of animals, but in fact, they were a solution to create arable/grazing land. Stones were remived from the fields and stacked in a particular way to form the walls. We walked the path backwards (so as to avoid the crowds) around the island, stopping for a picnic near the wreck of the Plassey. A 600 tonne cargo ship that was wrecked during a storm in the 1960s. The 11 crew survived thanks to the islanders who assisted. We visited the ruin O'Briens castle (early 15th century) before heading back to the ferry at about 4.30. The sun had come up, and the beach looked so inviting that Mickey and I took a dip - surprisingly warmer than we expected. And quick enough for no one to notice I was swimming in my undies. 😃 😀Read more