Seals and Saints Tour

A small cross marks the site of the only casualty of the Black n Tans occupation of Aran. It is here that a ricochet bullet killed Laurence McDonagh as he attempted to go to Sunday Mass. Also on this hillside is Teach an Máilleach, the remains of O Malleys house, who it is said had 7 schooners that traded to North America, ferrying people from Galway to America and brought cargos of pine back to Galway.

A short distance eastward we come to Mainistir, which gets its name from St. Ciarán's Monastery , founded in the 5th century by St. Ciarán, who was later to found Clonmacnoise, in Westmeath. The site, one of the islands most ancient, had been occupied for some 4,000 years as suggested by the Aharla or burial mound which is thought to hold a tomb with burial urns inside, though it was later used as a graveyard. St. Ciarans Church no longer exists but on its site a later church was built from the remains of the monastery of Connaught probably in the 8th or 9th century and is a culmination of early Christian Romanesque and Gothic architecture. The monastery was raided by Vikings in the 9th century and burned. It was also one of the last of these churches to have a roof, and was used during penal times. It is said that people would row from the Connemara coast to attend Mass. Other features of interest are the remains of a sundial and some wonderful early cross slabs that surround the church, also the Salmon well.

To the right of Corrough shore is the old Kelp factory, first set up in the late 18th century by the Galway Marine Salts Company, to take advantage of the rich seaweed growths on the Aran coastline. Here seaweed was burned in large kilns, for approx. 12 hours. A byproduct of this was iodine which at the time was in great demand for medical uses, ice-cream and make-up. Unfortunately due to falling prices and war, the factory had a short working life, although kelp was still produced independently by locals for a time.

Moving east again we will see a seal colony which has in the last number of years appeared and grown in size to about 15 or 20 seals. It must be noted that they can only be seen at low tide.

We are nearing the end of our journey and as we come back to the village of Cill Rónáin we see on our left St. Thomas ', the remains of the Protestant church on the island. Sadly, today it is derelict. Other buildings of interest are the old Barracks, now the Post Office and Lucky Star Bar and the Coast Guard Station, today the Heritage Centre and Garda Station.

However you travel, on our island we hope you have a wonderful experience and we would be glad to share our expert knowledge with you, and spend time to make your visit one to remember.

“Slán go Fóill!” - Bye for Now!

The Aran Jarveys Association
serving the public since 1898