Raise your glass

With stunning vistas, a distinct Irish culture, and ancient ruins, Inishmore (the largest of the three islands) offers visitors an unforgettable experience. On warm summer days, reaching the island by ferry must be magnificent. In the middle of winter, it looks like something out of Deadliest Catch. When my wife and I visited in February 2022, we opted to fly to Inishmore and skip the tumultuous boat ride.

Air Aran Islands makes daily trips in Britten-Norman BN-2 Islanders from Connemara Airport, about a 30-minute drive west from Galway. As the name suggests, the twin-engine transport was designed for trips like these: quick flights over the water into short island airfields. The aircraft are sparse on amenities. Seats and seat belts are just about all you will find in the 10-seat, 48-inch-wide cabin. Carry-on baggage is stored on your lap, and there are no headsets. Thankfully, it’s a short flight (about 10 minutes).

Despite winds blowing near 30 miles per hour, it’s a smooth flight and we cruise toward Inishmore 500 feet above white-capped waves. There is a curtain between the passengers and the pilot, blocking a view over the nose, but we’re crabbed so far into the crosswind that there’s a perfect view down the runway through the side windows. We land with only the faintest hint of flare, the beefy landing gear absorbing the airplane’s energy.

A bus shuttles us two miles into town (stopping first to drop a local off at his house). During warmer months, bicycles can be rented at the airport and ridden over the 12-square-mile island. Not so during the winter. Strong, cold winds blow in off the Atlantic, and the hotels, bed-and-breakfasts, and most bike rentals close shop and wait for better weather. However, the bar on the waterfront (aptly named “The Bar”) is open for a late breakfast.

Tour buses leave from the town—Kilronan—and show visitors thatched roof cottages, the ruins of centuries-old churches, and the 14 villages that dot the island.

The island is like a time capsule, taking visitors back to old Ireland. It wasn’t until the 1970s that electricity and running water were brought to the island; until then, inhabitants (now numbering 762) carried buckets of water home from rain-collection troughs for their needs. There are few cars on the island. Even if you had one, driving is no easy task. In most places, the fieldstone-lined roads aren’t wide enough for two vehicles to pass one another, meaning one driver must reverse until the road widens. There are three active churches, three police officers, one grocer, and one doctor. And, the Aran Islands are one of the only places where Irish is still the predominant language spoken (most everyone on the Island is also fluent in English).

The most impressive stop on the tour is the 3,200-year-old fort at the precipice of the island, Dún Aonghasa. Little is known about those who built the fort, but it’s in a strong defensive position on the high ground and the edge of a 300-foot cliff. From within its walls, the views are spectacular. There’s no railing or barrier at the edge, giving the adventurous a truly awesome sense of standing at the edge of the world and those with a fear of heights breathtaking anxiety.

From there, the tour takes us along the leeward coast of the island, home to a colony of seals that sun themselves on the beach and rock outcroppings at low tide. Then it’s back to Kilronan and the sweater markets that sell the famous cable-knit wool sweaters that are said to have originated here. Before returning to the airport for the return flight, there’s enough time to stop back into the pub for a pint of Guinness (complete with a clover in the foam).

We land back at Connemara and as we head to our car, a van pulls up. Island residents get out with bags of groceries, ready to board the next flight. For us, it was a day of incredible adventure and the chance to see Ireland from the air (something few GA pilots get the opportunity to do). For them, it was a normal run to the store.

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