Inis Mor is the largest of the three Aran Islands and is located off the west coast of
Ireland near Galway. You get there by taking a ferry from Rossaveal, which is located
in the southwest corner of the Connemara region. I arrived at 6:00 in the evening, alone,
and walked for about 20 minutes out of town up narrow winding roads to the place where
I was staying. The sky was a dark midnight blue, the moon and stars were out, and before
long, after I had traveled out of the small neighborhoods near town, I could hear the
sound of the ocean in the distance. It was dark, though, and I could not see where the
land ended, or where the sea met the sky. The island is so sparsely populated that, once
you are out of town, you can go for miles without seeing anyone. I remember the
quiet and eerie feel of this lonely evening walk. And I also remember feeling completely
safe and at peace. I did not want it to end. (Click on photos for a closer view of the
stone walls and port, below.)
Stone Walls by the Sea Across the Road from Where I Stayed
Port at Inis Mor Where Ferries from Rossaveal Arrive
