Coastal Boating, Sailing, Cruising, Yachting, Racing, Coastal, Sailboat, Yacht, Fleet, Club, Regatta, Commodore, One design, Social, Long Island Sound, Narragansett Bay, Buzzards Bay, Chesapeake Bay, Island, Seamanship, NE waters, NOAA, NWS

 

Aran Islands
Inis Mór
Inis Meáin
Inis Oírr
Galway Bay

Inis Mór (Inishmore in English)

Inis Mór is easily accessible and provides a sheltered anchorage and harbour for most conditions. The largest of the three islands, Inishmore has a good natural harbour at Kilronan as well as a brand new massive breakwater. It was dredged in 2008 and has plenty of depth.  The stone jetty at the head of the harbour has all manner of vessels tied to it. The pier and breakwater forms a U-shaped basin for the fishing fleet, the lifeboat, visiting yachts, and for the ferries to dock under all but the most challenging conditions.

The Harbour

We anchored in protected waters (except NE-erly) inside the moored RNLI Lifeboat and just outside the visitor’s mooring field. We dinghied ashore with our bikes and tied up our dinghy along a stairway up the inner side of the pier. There are stone steps on both sides of the jetty where dinghies can tie up for access to shore.

What to do

The first thing to do is stop into the visitor’s centre right at the harbour near the public toilets to learn what is happening on the island and pick up a map. The maps are very helpful for planning trips around the island as it is actually possible to get lost – as we have done twice now. The staff at the visitor’s centre is very friendly and helpful too. We learned the all-important answer to which pubs are open, which are serving food, and which have entertainment planned. We also learned all about the Red Bull Cliff Diving Championships scheduled for later in the season. Although we didn’t make it this year, we did watch the videos on YouTube (OMG) and do plan to go back if they return another time.

The horse and carriage trade has certainly made a resurgence in Inishmore and it can be a nice way to take a tour.  Yet, Inishmore is definitely an island for bicycling. The bike ride along the upper road provides great vistas across the Bay and the open ocean, while the lower road winds its way along the sea, amongst small farms and seal colonies.

We biked up to the prehistoric village ruins of Dun Aengus, where a 16-acre ring fort was built right up to the edge of 100-metre cliffs. The walls form a semi-circle that stops at the dizzying edges; there never was a full circle according to the archaeologists and geologists. The outside perimeter of the third ring of walls is protected by one of Europe’s finest examples of Chevaux de frise, a defensive system of angled standing stones that prevent surprise attacks. It is a spectacular sight. On the way back down, we stopped at the visitor centre and the cafe, only to be pleasantly surprised at the delicious lunch fare offered, with fresh breads and interesting ingredients.

There are several smaller forts and castles which we have visited on occasion. And one structure had us puzzled as it looked very much like a reverse stadium with seats all around from which masses of people could watch performances.  We walked the wall which wound around like a serpentine shell and imagined all kinds of uses. Then we learned that it’s a clever modern construction to hide the 15,000 sqm water reservoir. Dúchas had major involvement in protecting flora and fauna, building traditional walls and completely covering the reservoir in local stone. Our musings were dashed, but we were indeed impressed with the islanders’ clever disguise.

Services, Food and more

There are several bike rental shops, restaurant, pub, visitor’s centre, hostel, and shops along the harbour front. There is also a public rest room facility next to which is a tourist information centre. Inishmore has a large Spar supermarket not far from the harbour that is well stocked with all sorts of provisions including fresh breads, liquor, and fresh meats and vegetables. Newspapers are available after 1100 h.  It is deceptive from the outside, but huge on the inside and even has some household items and an ATM. Next door is a coffee shop in which to pass some time with a paper on a questionable weather day. A tiny Bureau de Change can be found in a house on the road to the supermarket. In the evenings, it is not unlikely to find traditional music and dancing wafting out of the pubs and onto the streets. 

As everything is in Irish, even the name of the AIB bank is written in Irish.

There are several pubs and restaurants where not only is proper libation available but suitable food as well. Tí Joe Macs is very traditional and the nearest to the ferry. It's great for sitting outside on a sunny day watching the harbour especially around sunset. It also has a nice warm fire inside. A group of men discussing local politics in hushed voices turned and looked at us in silence as we walked in and took a seat.  The pints were pulled to perfection but there was no food when we were there. At first we thought there were many men named Ti around these parts.  Then we learned that Tí means ‘house of’ in Irish, hence the pub names.  Hahahaha!

Further on The American Bar has inside seating as well as a beer garden, and serves good pub grub. We had excellent burgers and fish and chips there.  The mural commemorates Paddy Barry’s trip across the Atlantic in the Galway Hooker “St. Patrick” to take part in the parade celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty.  http://irishislands.info/conmweenish.html

Tigh Fitz is slightly outside Kilronan on the way to Cill Einne (Killeany). It’s a lovely pub and guest house which often has music. (It is listed on Daft.ie for sale in 2013.)

Tí Joe Wattys ( http://www.joewattys.com/) is an institution that wayward sailors gravitate toward in droves.  Just at the crossroads of the roads to Dun Aengus and the seal colony, past The Lucky Star where all the chickens roam.  Ti Joe Watty's, is our favourite, with a nice beer garden under trees, decent sized area inside and live music guaranteed at the weekends. Lots of locals come here, too. We had a very nice lunch meal there. They start serving at 12:30 and go until late so it’s possible to get food all day long. There's also The Lucky Star, but the open hours are sporadic at best. It’s never been open while we were there.

Despite the stopover of many yachts on Inishmore, most repair services are available only in Galway including Galway Boat Building and Marine Services Ltd and West Sails.  (See our Galway pages for more information.) There is a daily ferry from Inishmore to Doolin or Rossaveal via Aran Island Ferries. From Rossaveal there is a bus connection to Galway at Eyre Square.

Useful links:

Ferries

Flights

 

 



     
Joy of sailingCoastal Boating (Reg. in Ireland No. 443222) is a division of Knowledge Clinic Ltd.
Europe:
Port Aleria, Rosnakilly, Kilmeena, Westport, Co. Mayo, Ireland - USA: PO Box 726, Mahwah, NJ 07430
All content on this site is subject to Copyright© - All rights reserved.
Contact us - Advertising - Privacy - Terms & Conditions - Copyright & Trademark - Webmaster