Inishmore and More!

 

The last two days have blurred together.  It has been one of those times when knowing the hour of the day and the day of the week really doesn’t matter.  

We travelled by bus to Galway, then from Galway to the ferry and then by ferry to Inishmore. The trip took approximately three hours and felt more like a triathalon than a journey.   Everyone arrived in great spirits, the ocean was relatively calm and we were greeted by a beautiful sunny day on the island.  

Inishmore is one of three islands off the coast of Co. Clare, and actually the largest of the three.  The best comparison I can make to anything at home is that the Arans are to western Ireland as Nantucket and Marthas Vineyard are to Cape Cod;  lots of day trippers and weekend visitors.  One of the main differences may be the fact that the natural attractions are much more dramatic.

We began our tour with a 3 hour bus tour of the island to get a feel for the place and then we all went our separate ways to explore.  One of the places that we did stop was the ancient site of Dun Aengus.  There are many theories as to the actual purpose and age of Dun Aengus.  Some believe that it was a sophisticated ring fort bounded on one side by three hundred foot cliffs, and others believe that it was actually a center of commerce.  It’s age estimates vary from a few centuries before Christ to the 8th or 9th century.

By the time we arrived at Dun Aengus, our students needed to blow off a little steam.  Here are some photographs of the crazies from Wheaton releasing a little pent up energy:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Island is really very beautiful. According to our guide, it boasts the smallest church in Europe.  It measures approximately ten feet by twelve feet inside and sits at the top of a very steep hill.  Only the devout visited this church on a regular basis.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No matter where you are on the island, the views are spectacular.  The next photo was taken from Dun Aengus and looks west across the Atlantic.  Next stop, Maine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before I forget, the students wanted to pay tribute to Wheaton.  We have left our mark!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We stayed at the Mainistir Hostel while on the island.  The food there was excellent, all vegetarian, and plentiful.  It was also centrally located and made it easier for us to get around the island.  The weather was typical;  few hours of sun, followed by a few hours of drizzle and rain.  You get to the point where you just don’t worry about it and you dress in layers.

On thursday evening we reversed direction.  First the ferry, then the ride back to Galway, a couple of hours for dinner and then the return to Ballyvaughan.  I think most just fell into bed and didn’t wake until morning with the exception of a few that encountered and then captured a bat in the house.  No one was bitten and the bat lived.  A good day.

Tomorrows blog will feature more insight from students about this trip as well as photographs.  Towards the end I will assemble photos taken by students and I’ll present them in a gallery format.  It’s pretty difficult to do that on a regular basis as they all are using different cameras and they haven’t really had the time to go through all the possibilities.

I have received a couple of comments that have come through garbled.  Not sure why and it’s also impossible to know who they came from. Thanks to all who are following our adventures and we hope you’re enjoying being with us. 

 

Here a couple of more pictures taken on Inishmore…….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Until next time.

 

Andy