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Aran Islands 2000 Report:
Getting up at 4.30 am on a Friday morning is not easy, but it
was worth it. The bus was waiting and we left at exactly 5.00am,
all members present. We travelled on the minibus and some travelled
in the other two cars. The journey was pretty good for everyone
considering the early hours and everyone seemed to be really excited.
We stopped off once just before we reached Galway to let everyone
stretch their legs and empty their bladders (in a restaurant toilet,
in case you’re thinking someplace else).
When we arrived in Galway we were allowed to wander around for
an hour. It was nice to take in the city, it was so early so the
place was quiet but I think we all enjoyed the break from travelling.
We arrived at the ferry on time and the trip across was enjoyed
by everyone, we all went up on deck and enjoyed the scenery. When
we arrived on the island the sun was shining, we threw our luggage
into our rooms and then walked around taking it all in. A few
of us went down to the beach and marvelled at the dead fish (you
know who you are!). The day was spent mostly walking down to the
beach or just relaxing. A group of us went to the “pebbly beach”
for a walk (some pictures of this can be found on the website).
The evening was spent relaxing in the hotel and talking.
On Saturday morning, at 11.00am we hired our bicycles and started
out for Dun Aonghasa. the cycle was nice, a lot of us exercised
muscles we never knew we had, it was worth it though, the scenery
was beautiful. When we reached Dun Aonghasa we found out that
you had to actually pay to get in to see the promontary fort.
This angered a lot of us because the site is a public place. After
some deliberation we decided we’d pay to get to the fort. The
entrance fee for the students was 40p which wasn’t much but it
was the principal of it that mattered, we had to pay money to
see a place of national heritage. A letter will soon be on its
way to Duchas, the Heritage Service of the Department of Art,
Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands enquiring about why there
is a fee to see Dun Aonghasa. You’ll be kep updated about any
news in relation to this.
We didn’t stay at Dun Aonghasa for long because it was starting
to get cold. We all had enough time to get down on our hands and
knees and crawl to the edge and look over.
After a bit to eat in the Cafe that was beside the entrance building
to Dun Aonghasa we headed back to the hostel and regrouped. Some
of us wanted to cycle to Trawmore, a beach that we could see from
our hostel. Some didn’t go because thay had used up all their
energy but those who did really enjoyed themselves. We left our
bicycles on a hill and walked across the beach, climbed over some
sand dunes and walked down to the sea. The weather was very good
considering the time of year and some of us just went for a walk
along the beach.
Leaving some people at Trawmore, we cycled back to the hostel,
some of us having to buy presents before the shops were closed.
When everyone had arrived back we had dinner, after which we went
for more walks down to the beach.
That night the majority of the group sat in front of the tv and
watched “Aliens:Special Edition” on Teilifis Na Gaeilge.
Sunday morning was spent packing our stuff, getting something
to eat and just preparing for the journey back home. The weather
was dull. The ferry trip back to the mainland was cold and windy
but some of us stayed out on the deck and got our last glimpse
of Inishmore.
The journey back home was quiet, both from tiredness and (I think)
depression at having to face going back to school and the same
old routine.
On Monday, in school everyone was kind of depressed but during
the week once everything got back to normal people cheered up
and started planning when to go back.
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