County Galway

The Aran Islands lie 30 miles (48 km) off the coast of Galway and Clare. There are three islands: Inis Mór, Inis Oir and Inis Meain. The largest is Inis Mór; and among its attractions is Dún Aonghasa, a 2,500-year-old fort clinging to 300-foot-cliffs, in the care of the State Heritage Service.

There’s a heritage center in Kilronan and lots of pubs, restaurants and guest houses. To get around, you rent a bike, take a jaunting (horse-drawn carriage), car or a mini-bus tour.

Inis Meain is dominated by the massive Dún Chonchúir, a fortress dating to the Iron Age. The island is famous for its cliffs, patchwork of fields, its beautifully spoken Irish, and the Aran knitwear known all over the world.

Geologically, Inis Óirr is an extension of the Burren in Co. Clare, with the limestone fissures concealing exotic plants and flowers. Other features include a Bronze Age tumulus (mound tomb), Formna Village , with its many thatched houses, and a medieval castle – Caislean Ui Bhrian – with strange Celtic heads looking out over Galway Bay .

With their austere but beautiful landscapes, dry-stone walls, wonderful views of the Atlantic , and historic sites, all three islands are worth visiting. No wonder they have inspired writers and artists, including the playwright John Millington Synge. Their isolation for centuries has meant that they retain much of traditional Irish culture, including the language. They also have safe sandy beaches, sailboarding and boating, as well as facilities for angling. You hear great music, instrumental and vocal, in the islands’ pubs.

One of the most famous attractions on the island is the ancient stone fort of Dun Aengus. This fort dates back to the Celtic Iron Age around the first century AD and is perched atop spectacular 300 foot cliffs that drop straight down to the Atlantic . No one is the certain who built this great fort, though it is speculated that either the Celtic Fir Bolgs or the Danes created the mighty stronghold.

Half of the site, consisting of three concentric enclosures, has fallen into the sea, but the remaining structure is truly a sight to behold. Each of these three concentric enclosures was once an important line of defense.

The inner wall is thirteen feet thick and 18 feet high in some places. The enclosed space is 150 by 140 feet. From this fort you have an amazing view of the Atlantic and the Aran Islands . It is recommended that you are very cautious when peering over the cliffs as powerful wind gusts sweep up suddenly and you could easily lose your balance.

Connemara is one of the most scenic, unspoiled areas in the entire country, with a rugged landscape of bogs and moors. It is dominated by two mountain ranges, called the Twelve Bens and the Maam, and fringed by an indented coastline of wide bays and sheltered harbors.

Although beautiful, the land is poor, so farmers need other incomes to survive. Irish is still spoken here and visitors are made very welcome.

As you travel around you’ll see Connemara ponies . These lively little animals may be descendants of horses that swam ashore when the Spanish Armada was wrecked off the coast in the 16th century. Donkeys, once popular with farmers in the area because their small feet suited the boggy ground, are not often seen these days.

Connemara National Park , Letterfrack, is open all year, offering walks, talks, an audio-visual show, and displays. The park is on the slopes of the Twelve Bens, and is home to a herd of pure Connemara ponies and red deer , as well as rabbits and foxes, and to the non-native and destructive mink. You see signs of how the area was heavily populated in the past with ruined houses and old sheep pens.

Clifden is a small market town nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and the Twelve Bens mountain range. Clifden comes from the Irish word An Clochan, meaning "the stepping stones". It was founded in 1812 by John d'Arcy and was one of the last towns to be built in Ireland .

In 1907, Marconi established the first transatlantic telegraph station just south of Clifden. In June of 1919, the first successful transatlantic flight landed beside the station. This monumental feat was accomplished by two British pilots, Alcock and Brown, who traveled from Newfoundland . They received a prize of 10,000 English pounds and a knighthood for their flight.

Clifden is considered to be the Capitol of Connemara. It has a vibrant social and cultural atmosphere, but its largest draw is the surrounding natural beauty. You can walk in any direction, towards one of the twelve peaks of the Bens mountain range or down to the shores of the Atlantic , and discover an oasis of serenity and beauty.

You can take the magnificently scenic Sky Road up to view Clifden Castle, a castle built and lived in by the founder of the city. Kylemore Abbey, a girls school run by Benedictine nun and perched above Kylemore Lake , is another sight that is sure to impress upon your senses and is well worth a visit.

Get out and explore the rugged beauty contained within the Connemara National Park and then return to town to enjoy the many shops, pubs and restaurants that Clifden has to offer.

Clifden Castle was built and lived in by the founder of the town of Clifden , John d'Arcy. It was built in 1750 in a Gothic Revival style and was only lived in for about 90 years before it was abandoned during the famine in the 1840s.

During the Great Famine John d'Arcy and his family were sympathetic landlords. It's said they never turned away a man, woman or child and during the peak years of devastation, they themselves went broke feeding they locals and had to flee the starvation in Ireland . The house fell into ruin after they left and was stripped bare of anything that was worth selling by the locals in order to feed themselves.

Today, only the shell of the once grand castle remains standing. You can walk through the house through an entrance in the back garden.