Inishmore ( , or ) is the largest of the

Aran Islands The Aran Islands ( ; , ) or The Arans ( ) are a group of three islands at the mouth of Galway Bay, off the west coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, with a total area around . They constitute the historic barony (Ireland), barony of Aran in ...

Galway Bay Galway Bay ( Irish: ''Loch Lurgain'' or ''Cuan na Gaillimhe'') is a bay on the west coast of Ireland, between County Galway in the province of Connacht to the north and the Burren in County Clare in the province of Munster to the south; Galway ...

, off the west coast of Ireland. With an area of and a population of 820 (as of 2016), it is the second-largest island off the Irish coast (after

Achill Achill Island (; ) is an island off the west coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland in the barony (Ireland), historical barony of Burrishoole, County Mayo. It is the largest of the Irish isles and has an area of approximately . Achill had a popu ...

) and most populous of the Aran Islands. The island is in the Irish-speaking

Gaeltacht A ( , , ) is a district of Ireland, either individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home. The districts were first officially recognised ...

and has a strong

Irish culture The culture of Ireland includes the Irish art, art, Music of Ireland, music, Irish dance, dance, Irish mythology, folklore, Irish clothing, traditional clothing, Irish language, language, Irish literature, literature, Irish cuisine, cuisine ...

. Much of the island is

karst Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...

landscape and it has a wealth of ancient and medieval sites including

Dún Aonghasa (unofficial anglicised version Dun Aengus) is the best-known of several prehistoric hill forts on the Aran Islands of County Galway, Ireland. It lies on , at the edge of a cliff. A popular tourist attraction, Dún Aonghasa is also an importa ...

, described as "the most magnificent barbaric monument in Europe" by George Petrie. The island is a

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

of the same name.

Name

Before the 20th century, the island was usually called or , which is thought to mean 'kidney-shaped' or 'ridge'. It was anglicized as Aran, Aran More, or Great Aran. This has caused some confusion with

Arranmore ''Árainn Mhór'' (English language, English name: Arranmore) is an island off the west coast of County Donegal in Ulster, the northern Provinces of Ireland, province in Ireland. Arranmore is the largest inhabited island of County Donegal, wit ...

, County Donegal, which has the same Irish name. The name "Inishmore" was "apparently concocted by the

Ordnance Survey The Ordnance Survey (OS) is the national mapping agency for Great Britain. The agency's name indicates its original military purpose (see Artillery, ordnance and surveying), which was to map Scotland in the wake of the Jacobite rising of ...

for its map of 1839" as an Anglicization of ('big island'), as there is no evidence of its use before then. Because the island is in the

, is the only legal placename in Irish or English as declared in the

Official Languages Act 2003 The Official Languages Act 2003 () is an Act of the Oireachtas of Ireland. The Act sets out rules regarding use of the Irish language by public bodies; established the office of to monitor and enforce compliance by public bodies with the pro ...

History

During the

Cromwellian conquest of Ireland The Cromwellian conquest of Ireland (1649–1653) was the re-conquest of Ireland by the Commonwealth of England, initially led by Oliver Cromwell. It forms part of the 1641 to 1652 Irish Confederate Wars, and wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three ...

, Inishmore was, similarly to Inishbofin, used by the

New Model Army The New Model Army or New Modelled Army was a standing army formed in 1645 by the Parliamentarians during the First English Civil War, then disbanded after the Stuart Restoration in 1660. It differed from other armies employed in the 1639 t ...

as a prison camp for

Roman Catholic priest The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in common English usage ''priest'' re ...

s who were arrested while continuing their priestly ministry in

nonviolent resistance Nonviolent resistance, or nonviolent action, sometimes called civil resistance, is the practice of achieving goals such as social change through symbolic protests, civil disobedience, economic or political noncooperation, satyagraha, construct ...

to the

Commonwealth of England The Commonwealth of England was the political structure during the period from 1649 to 1660 when Kingdom of England, England and Wales, later along with Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland and Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, were governed as a republi ...

's 1653 decree of banishment. The last priests held in both islands were finally released following the

Stuart Restoration The Stuart Restoration was the reinstatement in May 1660 of the Stuart monarchy in Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland. It replaced the Commonwealth of England, established in January 164 ...

in 1662.

Geology and geography

The island is an extension of

the Burren The Burren ( ; ) is a karst/glaciokarst landscape centred in County Clare, on the west coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland.

. The terrain of the island is composed of

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

pavements with crisscrossing cracks known as "grikes", leaving isolated rocks called "clints". The limestones date from the Visean stage of the

Carboniferous The Carboniferous ( ) is a Geologic time scale, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), system of the Paleozoic era (geology), era that spans 60 million years, from the end of the Devonian Period Ma (million years ago) to the beginning of the ...

period, formed as sediments in a shallow tropical sea approximately 330-350 million years ago, and compressed into horizontal strata with fossil

coral Corals are colonial marine invertebrates within the subphylum Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact Colony (biology), colonies of many identical individual polyp (zoology), polyps. Coral species include the important Coral ...

crinoid Crinoids are marine invertebrates that make up the class Crinoidea. Crinoids that remain attached to the sea floor by a stalk in their adult form are commonly called sea lilies, while the unstalked forms, called feather stars or comatulids, are ...

s, and

sea urchin Sea urchins or urchins () are echinoderms in the class (biology), class Echinoidea. About 950 species live on the seabed, inhabiting all oceans and depth zones from the intertidal zone to deep seas of . They typically have a globular body cove ...

s. The effects of the last glacial period (the Midlandian) are evident, with the island overrun by ice. The result is that Inis Mór and the other islands are among the finer examples of Glacio-

Karst Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...

landscape in the world. The impact of earlier

karstification Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. There is some eviden ...

(solutional erosion) has been eliminated by the last glacial period. So any Karstification now seen dates from approximately 10,000 years ago and the island Karst is thus recent. Solutional processes have widened and deepened the grikes of the limestone pavement. Pre-existing lines of weakness in the rock (vertical joints) contribute to the formation of extensive fissures separated by clints (flat pavement like slabs). The rock karstification facilitates the formation of subterranean drainage.

Towns and villages

Cill Rónáin Cill Rónáin (), unofficially anglicized as Kilronan, is the main settlement on Inishmore, one of the Aran Islands off the coast of County Galway in Ireland. The ferries serving the island call at Doolin, County Clare and also Rossaveal, Count ...

(Kilronan) *Eochaill (Oghill) *Mainistir (Manister) *Cill Mhuirbhigh (Kilmurvy) *Iarairne (Eararna) *Cill Éinne (Killeany) *Gort na gCapall *Fearann an Choirce (Oatquarter) *Corrúch *Creig an Chéirín *Bungabhla *Baile na Creige *Sruthán *Eoghanacht (Onaght)

Flora and fauna

The island supports

arctic The Arctic (; . ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the North Pole, lying within the Arctic Circle. The Arctic region, from the IERS Reference Meridian travelling east, consists of parts of northern Norway ( ...

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

and

alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National P ...

plants side by side, due to the unusual environment. Like the Burren, the Aran islands are known for their unusual assemblage of plants and animals. The grikes (crevices) provide moist shelter, thus supporting a wide range of plants including dwarf shrubs. Where the surface of the pavement is shattered into gravel, many of the hardier Arctic or alpine plants can be found. But when the limestone pavement is covered by a thin layer of soil, patches of grass are seen, interspersed with plants like the gentian and orchids. Insects present include the butterfly the

pearl-bordered fritillary The pearl-bordered fritillary (''Boloria euphrosyne'') is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae found in Europe and through Russia across the Palearctic to the north of Kazakhstan. Description The adult butterfly is orange with black spots on ...

(''Boloria euphrosyne''),

brown hairstreak The brown hairstreak (''Thecla betulae'') is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. The range includes most of the Palaearctic. Description The following description of this butterfly was written by Adalbert Seitz in 1909: ''Z. betulae'' L. B ...

(''Thecla betulae''),

marsh fritillary The marsh fritillary (''Euphydryas aurinia'') is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. Commonly distributed in the Palearctic region, the marsh fritillary's common name derives from one of its several habitats, marshland. The prolonged larval st ...

(''Euphydryas aurinia'') and wood white (''Leptidea sinapis''); the moths, the burren green (''Calamia tridens''), Irish annulet (''Gnophos dumetata'') and transparent burnet (''Zygaena purpuralis''); and the hoverfly '' Doros profuges''.

Tourism

Inis Mór today is a major tourist destination, with bed and breakfast accommodation scattered across the island. Private minibuses, bicycles, and horse-drawn carriages, locally called pony traps, are the main methods of getting about for the numerous tourists who visit the island in the summer months. There is a small museum illustrating the history of

and its possible functions, while the Aran Sweater Market is a focal point for visitors who can trace the culture and history associated with the Aran sweater through the on-site museum. Near the lighthouse are a

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

tomb and a small heritage park at Dún Eochla. Dun Eochla is an almost circular fort with an inner wall that gives access to a walkway on its top. The heritage park features examples of a traditional

thatched cottage Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, water reed, sedge ('' Cladium mariscus''), rushes, heather, or palm branches, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof. Since the bulk of ...

and poteen distillery. The ''Tempull Breccain'' (Church of Brecan), commonly called the Seven Churches of Aran, is a complex of churches and other buildings dedicated to the 5th-century

Saint Brecan Saint Brecan was an Irish saint active in the 5th century AD. There are legends concerning Brecan from Clare and Aran, and wells and churches are dedicated to him in various places in Ireland. His main monument is the ''Tempull Breccain'' comple ...

, once a popular destination for pilgrims. In the centre of the island, at its highest point is the Inishmore Lighthouse, it was decommissioned in 1857 and replaced by the lights at Eeragh and

Inisheer Inisheer ( , or ) is the smallest and most easterly of the three Aran Islands in Galway Bay, Ireland. With 343 residents as of the 2022 census, it is second-most populous of the Arans. Caomhán of Inis Oírr is the island's patron saint. ...

. The island plays host to

Ted Fest The Friends of Ted Festival, or Ted Fest, is an annual fan convention held on the island of Inishmore, off the coast of County Galway, Ireland for fans of the Channel 4 sitcom ''Father Ted'', created by Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews. The se ...

each year. First celebrated in 2007, it is a celebration of the sitcom ''

Father Ted ''Father Ted'' is a sitcom created by Irish writers Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews (writer), Arthur Mathews and produced by British production company Hat Trick Productions for British television channel Channel 4. It aired over three seri ...

''. Festival-goers dress as their favourite characters, watch their favourite episodes and take part in various ''Ted'' related events and competitions.

Sport

Some of the limestone sea cliffs have attracted interest from rock-climbers. Diving is possible with a particularly popular location at Poll na bPéist ('hole of worms/sea monsters'), a large rectangular pool communicating via underground channels with the sea, located on the southern coast of the island. Since 2012, Inis Mór has hosted an event as part of the

Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series The Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, established in 2009 and created by Red Bull GmbH, Red Bull, is an annual international series of Diving (sport), cliff diving events in which a limited number of competitors determine the Cliff Diving ...

Transport

The island is serviced by Aran Ferries ferry from

Rossaveal Rossaveal or Rossaveel ( or ) is a Gaeltacht village and townland in the Connemara district of County Galway in the west of Ireland. It is the main ferry port for the Aran Islands in Galway Bay. It is about from Galway city. The village is locat ...

and

Doolin Doolin () is a coastal village in County Clare, Ireland, on the Atlantic coast. It is southwest of the spa town of Lisdoonvarna and 4 miles from the Cliffs of Moher. It is a noted centre of traditional Irish music, which is played nightly in ...

. These are passenger-only ferries; cars and heavy goods are transported on unscheduled services. Aer Arann Islands runs daily scheduled flights from Inis Mór Aerodrome to

Connemara Airport Connemara Airport () or Connemara Regional Airport (''Aerfort Réigiúnach Chonamara'') is located at Inverin in the Connemara region of Ireland, west of the city of Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the c ...

using

Britten Norman Islander The Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander is a British light utility aircraft and regional airliner designed and originally manufactured by Britten-Norman of the United Kingdom. Still in production, the Islander is one of the best-selling commercial airc ...

aircraft.

In popular culture

The island features heavily in

Martin McDonagh Martin Faranan McDonagh ( ; born 26 March 1970) is a British-Irish playwright and filmmaker. He is known for his Absurdism, absurdist Black comedy, dark humour which often challenges the modern theatre aesthetic. He has won List of awards and no ...

's play ''

The Lieutenant of Inishmore ''The Lieutenant of Inishmore'' is a black comedy by Martin McDonagh, in which the 'mad' leader of an Irish National Liberation Army splinter group discovers that his cat has been killed. It has been produced twice in the West End and on Br ...

''. McDonagh also used Inishmore as a location for his film ''

The Banshees of Inisherin ''The Banshees of Inisherin'' () is a 2022 black tragicomedy film directed, written, and co-produced by Martin McDonagh. Set on a remote fictional island off the west coast of Ireland in 1923, the film stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson a ...

''. Inis Mór was used as a recording location for the 1997 film ''

The Matchmaker ''The Matchmaker'' is a 1954 Broadway play by Thornton Wilder, a rewritten version of his 1938 play '' The Merchant of Yonkers''. History The play has a long and colorful history. John Oxenford's 1835 one-act farce ''A Day Well Spent'' ha ...

'' and the 2010 film ''

Leap Year A leap year (also known as an intercalary year or bissextile year) is a calendar year that contains an additional day (or, in the case of a lunisolar calendar, a month) compared to a common year. The 366th day (or 13th month) is added to keep t ...

''. The first story in ''These Precious Hours'' by Michael Corrigan has a scene set on Inis Mór. The island appeared on the premiere episode of ''

The Amazing Race 12 ''The Amazing Race 12'' is the twelfth season of American reality competition show ''The Amazing Race (American TV series), The Amazing Race''. Hosted by Phil Keoghan, it featured eleven teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship, compe ...

'' with teams needing to find

Teampall Bheanáin The oratory Teampall Bheanáin (; meaning "Benan's Temple") is situated near Kilronan on Inishmore, Aran, Galway Bay, Ireland. A unique example of Celtic church construction. It marks the location of the original monastic settlement founded ...

after they arrived. The music video for

Dermot Kennedy Dermot Joseph Kennedy (born 13 December 1991) is an Irish singer and songwriter. He is known for his 2019 singles " Outnumbered" and " Power Over Me", his 2020 single " Giants", and his feature on the 2020 Meduza single " Paradise". He is signed ...

's "For Island Fires and Family" (video released 10 January 2019) was filmed entirely on Inis Mór.

Inishmore Inishmore ( , or ) is the largest of the Aran Islands in Galway Bay, off the west coast of Ireland. With an area of and a population of 820 (as of 2016), it is the second-largest island off the Irish coast (after Achill) and most populo ...

is the name of the tenth album by the New York heavy metal forefathers Riot (now going under

Riot V Riot V, formerly known as Riot, is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in New York City whose origins began in 1975 by guitarist Mark Reale. Achieving peak success and popularity during the early 1980s, the band has continued ...

moniker) and loosely based on tales of Irish famine and emigration, employing many Celtic/Irish sounding passages, as well as an instrumental cover of a well known Irish song

Danny Boy "Danny Boy" is a folk song with lyrics written by English lawyer Frederic Weatherly in 1910, and set to the traditional Irish melody of " Londonderry Air" in 1913. History In 1910, in Bath, Somerset, England, the English lawyer and lyricist ...

Notable inhabitants

Ceannanach Gregory Ceannanach, early Irish missionary, fl. c. 490-500? Biography Ceannanach's original name is said to have been Gregory, the former name only associated with him after his death. He was a very early Christian missionary who worked in w ...

, early Irish missionary, fl. c. 490–500? * Saint Fanchea,

abbess An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa'') is the female superior of a community of nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Coptic, Lutheran and Anglican abbeys, the mod ...

Killeaney Killeany was an Irish monastery. In the 5th century inishmore was given by Aengus, King of Cashel, to St. Endeus or St. Enda of Aran, who founded several monasteries, and built several churches, of which the principal was named after him Kill- ...

, fl. 500 *

Enda of Aran Saint Enda of Aran (Éanna, Éinne or Endeus, died 530 AD) is an Irish saint. His feast day is 21 March. Enda was a warrior-king of Oriel in Ulster, converted by his sister, Saint Fanchea, an abbess. About 484 he established the first Iri ...

, early Christian

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

, died c. 530 *

Mahon mac Turlough Mantach Ó Briain Mathgamain mac Toirdhealbhach Mantach Ó Briain, Chief of the Name of the Clan Teige Ó Briain of Aran, died 1565. Family background Ó Briain was the senior member of the Mac Taidhg, or Clann Taidhg Ó Briain, of Inishmore in Galway Bay. They w ...

, Chief of Inis Mór, died 1565 *

Murrough mac Toirdelbach Ó Briain Murrough mac Toirdelbach Ó Briain, Chief of the Name, the Clan Tiege of Aran, fl. 1575 – 1588. Family background Ó Briain was the senior member of the Mac Teige, or Clan Teige Ó Briain, of Inishmore, in Galway Bay. They were descended fro ...

, Chief of Inis Mór, fl. 1575–1588 *

Murrough na dTuadh Ó Flaithbheartaigh Murrough na dTuadh Ó Flaithbheartaigh, anglicised Sir Murrough O'Flaherty (died 1593) was Chief of Iar Connacht, . Ancestry Great-great-great-grandson of Brian na Noinseach, son of Donall na Comthach Ó Flaithbheartaigh (who was, in turn, a ...

Lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power (social and political), power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the Peerage o ...

Iar Connacht West Connacht (; Modern Irish: ''Iar Connacht'') was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, associated geographically with present-day County Galway, particularly the area known more commonly today as Connemara. The kingdom represented the core homeland o ...

, fl. 1569–1593 * Pat Mullen, actor and writer, assistant director ''

Man of Aran ''Man of Aran'' is a 1934 Irish fictional documentary ( ethnofiction) film shot, written and directed by Robert J. Flaherty about life on the Aran Islands off the western coast of Ireland. It portrays characters living in premodern condition ...

'', 1893-1972 * Bridget Dirrane,

centenarian A centenarian is a person who has reached the age of 100. Because life expectancies at birth worldwide are well below 100, the term is invariably associated with longevity. The United Nations estimated that there were 316,600 living centenarian ...

nurse Nursing is a health care profession that "integrates the art and science of caring and focuses on the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and human functioning; prevention of illness and injury; facilitation of healing; and alle ...

memoirist A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether non-fictional (memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travel literature, travelogue, etc.) ...

, 1894-2003 *

Liam O'Flaherty Liam O'Flaherty ( ; 28 August 1896 – 7 September 1984) was an Irish novelist and short-story writer, and one of the foremost socialist writers in the first part of the 20th century, writing about the common people's experience and from their ...

bilingual Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. When the languages are just two, it is usually called bilingualism. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolin ...

playwright, novelist and short story writer, 28 August 1896 – 7 September 1984 *

Elizabeth Rivers Elizabeth Joyce Rivers (5 August 1903 – 20 July 1964) was an English painter, engraver, illustrator and author, based in Ireland for most of her life. Life Born in Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire in England on 5 August 1903, she was a member of ...

, artist and author, 1903-1964 *

Máirtín Ó Direáin Máirtín Ó Direáin (; 29 November 1910 – 19 March 1988) was an Irish poet from the Aran Islands Gaeltacht. Along with Seán Ó Ríordáin and Máire Mhac an tSaoi, Ó Direáin was, in the words of Louis de Paor, "one of a trinity of poets ...

, Irish language poet and highly important figure in

Modern literature in Irish Although Irish has been used as a literary language for more than 1,500 years (see Irish literature), and modern literature in Irish dates – as in most European languages – to the 16th century, modern Irish literature owes much of its popul ...

, 1910–1988 *

Breandán Ó hEithir Breandán Ó hEithir (18 January 1930 – 26 October 1990) was an Irish writer and broadcaster.Tim Robinson, author, 1935–2020 *

Maura Derrane Maura Catherine Derrane (born 8 July 1970) is an Irish television presenter and journalist. She currently works for RTÉ, having previously worked for TV3 and TG4. Derrane is a from Inishmore, County Galway. She previously worked as a research ...

RTÉ (; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, ...

television presenter, born 1970 * Barbara Feeney (née Curran), mother of director

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), better known as John Ford, was an American film director and producer. He is regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers during the Golden Age of Hollywood, and w ...

(né John Feeney) was born in the town of

Kilronan Cill Rónáin (), unofficially anglicized as Kilronan, is the main settlement on Inishmore, one of the Aran Islands off the coast of County Galway in Ireland. The ferries serving the island call at Doolin, County Clare and also Rossaveal, Count ...

Eyman, Scott
''Print the Legend: The Life and Times of John Ford''
New York: Simon & Schuster. 1999. (excerpt c/o ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'')

Aran in the Irish annals

From the

Annals of Inisfallen The ''Annals of Inisfallen'' () are a chronicle of the medieval history of Ireland. Overview There are more than 2,500 entries spanning the years between 433 and 1450. The manuscript is thought to have been compiled in 1092, as the chronic ...

(AI): * 530 – "

died." * 654 – "St

Nem Moccu Birn Nem Moccu Birn (or Nennus, Nenus, Nehemias; died 14 June 654) was Abbot of Aran. His feast day is 14 June. Biography Nem was one of the few known successors of Enda of Aran, and appears to be the first such abbot listed in the Irish annals ...

, successor of Enne, of Ara, died on the 14th of June." * 751 – "Repose of

Colmán mac Comán Colmán mac Comán (died 751) was Abbot of Aran Islands, Aran, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. He was one of the few known successors of Enda of Aran, and appears to be the second such abbot listed in the Irish annals after Enda himself. Annalisti ...

, in Ára." * 755 – "

Gaimdibhla Gaimdibhla (died 755) was Abbot of Aran. Gaimdibhla is one of the few attested successors of Enda of Aran Saint Enda of Aran (Éanna, Éinne or Endeus, died 530 AD) is an Irish saint. His feast day is 21 March. Enda was a warrior-king o ...

, Abbot of Aran, died." * 916 – "

Egnech Egnech (died 915) was an Abbot of Aran. He was one of the few attested successors of Enda of Aran, and only the second named as such since the saint's death in 530. His death is recorded laconically in the Irish annals, without details. Viking ac ...

, successor of Enda of Ara, bishop and anchorite, died." * 1110 – "

Flann Ua Aedha Flann Ua Aedha (died 1110) was Abbot of Aran. Biography Flann Ua Aedha is one of the few named successors to Enda of Aran. He died during the fourth year of the reign of King Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair of Connacht, and was succeeded by Maelc ...

, successor of Énna of Ára, died." * 1114 – " Maelcoluim Ua Cormacain, successor of Ende of Ara, died." * "AI1015.8 The foreigners of the Isles, viz. with the complement of seven ships, raided the Islands, and they plundered Ara, Inse Mod, and Inis Aingin(?), and carried off one hundred and fifty aptivesas booty." * "AI1016.6 The slaughter of Ára, in which Ua Lochlainn, royal heir of Corcu Modruad, was killed in Port Ciaráin in Ára. It was the Conmaicne who slew him." * "AI1019.4 A great pestilence, i.e. a colic, in Ára in the above year, and many people died there." * 1167 –

Gillagori Ua Dubhacan Gillagori Ua Dubhacan (died 1167) was Abbot of Aran, Ireland. Biography Gillagori appears to be otherwise unknown. His surname may be an early form of Ó Dubhagáin. They were a bardic family from Baile Uí Dhubhagáin (Ballyduggan), near Lou ...

, "successor of Einde of Ara, died."

Demographics

The table below reports data on Inis Mór's population taken from ''Discover the Islands of Ireland'' (Alex Ritsema, Collins Press, 1999) and the census of Ireland.

Annalistic references

AI=

. (AF)M=

Annals of the Four Masters The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' () or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' () are chronicles of Middle Ages, medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Genesis flood narrative, Deluge, dated as 2,242 Anno Mundi, years after crea ...

. * AI1016.6 "The slaughter of Ára, in which Ua Lochlainn, royal heir of Corcu Modruad, was killed in Port Ciaráin in Ára. It was the Conmaicne who slew him. Death of Muiredach son of Cadla, king of Conmaicne Mara." * AI1019.4 "A great pestilence, i.e. a colic, in Ára in the above year, and many people died there." * M1186 "Conchubhar Ua Flaithbertaigh was killed by Ruaidhri Ua Flaithbertaigh, by his own brother, in Ara." * M1560.8 "Mahon, the son of Turlough, son of Teige, son of Donough, son of Donnell, son of Turlough Meith O'Brien, went into Desmond with the crew of a ship and boat, from the island of Aran. He took prisoners in the southern country, but some assert that the taking of them was of no advantage, and that they only accompanied him through friendship. On his return with his spoils, the wind became rough, and the sky angry; and the ship and boat were separated from each other; and when the ship was making for Aran in the beginning of the night, the sail was swept away from the hands of the men and warriors, and torn to rags off the ropes and tackles, and wafted into the regions of the firmament; and the ship afterwards struck upon a rock, which is at the mouth of Cuan-an-fhir-mhoir, in West Connaught, where she was lost, with her crew, except Mahon and three others. Upwards of one hundred were drowned in that harbour, among whom was Tuathal O'Malley, the best pilot of a fleet of long ships in his time." * M1565.3 "Mahon, the son of Turlough Mantagh, son of Donough, son of Donnell, son of Turlough Meith, was treacherously slain in his own town of Aircin, in Aran, by his own associates and relations. When the chief men of Galway heard of this, they set out to revenge this misdeed upon the treacherous perpetrators, so that they compelled them to fly from their houses; and they the fugitives went into a boat, and put to sea; and where they landed was in the harbour of Ross, in West Corca-Bhaiscinn. Donnell, the son of Conor O'Brien, having heard of this, he hastened to meet them with all the speed that he could exert; and he made prisoners of the greater number of them, and carried them in close fetters to Magh Glae, in the upper part of Corcomroe, in order that their sorrow and anguish might be the greater for being in view of the place where they had perpetrated the crime; he hanged some of them, and burned others, according as their evil practices deserved."

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* {{Authority control Gaeltacht places in County Galway Civil parishes of County Galway Aran Islands Islands of Connemara Prison islands Car-free islands of Europe