The Aran Islands
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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 Ireland, with a total area around . They constitute the historic barony of Aran in County Galway. From west to east, the islands are: Inishmore ( / ), which is the largest; Inishmaan (), the second-largest; and Inisheer (), the smallest. There are also several islets. The population of 1,347 (as of 2022) primarily speak Irish, making the islands a part of the Gaeltacht. Most islanders are also fluent or proficient in English. The population has steadily declined from around 3,500 in 1841. Location and access The approaches to the bay between the Aran Islands and the mainland are: * North Sound''An Súnda ó Thuaidh'' (more accurately ''Bealach Locha Lurgan'') lies between Inishmore and Lettermullen, County Galway. * Gregory's Sound''Súnda Ghríoghóra'' (formerly known as ''Bealach na h-Áite'') lies between Inishmore and Inishmaan. * Foul Sound''An Sún ...
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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 city is on the northeast side. The bay is about long and from to in breadth. The Aran Islands (''Oileáin Árann'') are to the west across the entrance and there are numerous small islands within the bay. To the west of Galway, the rocks are granite but to the south they are limestone. The approaches to the bay between the Aran Islands and the mainland are as follows: * the North Sound (''An Súnda ó Thuaidh'') lies between Inishmore and Leitir Mealláin in Connemara; known as ''Bealach Locha Lurgan'' in Irish. * Gregory's Sound (''Súnda Ghríoghóra'') lies between Inishmore and Inishmaan; known as ''Bealach na h-Áite'' in Irish. * Foul Sound (''An Súnda Salach'') lies between Inishmaan and Inisheer; known as ''Bealach na Fearb ...
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County Donegal
County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small border with the rest of the Republic. It is named after the town of Donegal (town), Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconnell or Tirconaill (), after Tyrconnell, the historical territory on which it was based. Donegal County Council is the local government in the Republic of Ireland, local council and Lifford is the county town. The population was 167,084 at the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census. Name County Donegal is named after the town of Donegal (town), Donegal () in the south of the county. It has also been known by the alternative name County Tyrconnell or Tirconaill (, meaning 'Land of Conall Gulban, Conall'). The latter was its official name between 1922 and 1927. This is in reference to th ...
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O'Brien's Castle (Inisheer)
O'Brien's Castle, also called Furmina Castle, is an early 15th century Tower houses in Britain and Ireland, tower house and National Monument (Ireland), National Monument located on Inisheer, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Location O'Brien's Castle is located at one of the island's highest points, in the north of Inisheer. History A ringfort once stood on the site, named ''Dún Formna'' ("dún, hillfort of the ridge/shoulder", referring to the "shoulder" of land) and dated to between the 5th century BC and 1st century AD. The castle was built by the Clann Teige, a branch of the powerful O'Brien dynasty, O'Brien (Uí Briain) family, in the early 15th century around 1400. It was taken by the Ó Flaithbheartaigh (O'Flahertys) around 1582. It was captured and Slighting, slighted by Oliver Cromwell's army in 1652, during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. Building The castle is a rectangular donjon (keep). The original doorway was into the first floor, accessed by an external woo ...
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Ringfort
Ringforts or ring forts are small circular fortification, fortified settlements built during the Bronze Age, Iron Age and early Middle Ages up to about the year 1000 AD. They are found in Northern Europe, especially in Ireland. There are also many in South Wales and in Cornwall, where they are called rounds. Ringforts come in many sizes and may be made of stone or earth. Earthen ringforts would have been marked by a circular rampart (a bank and ditch), often with a palisade, stakewall. Both stone and earthen ringforts would generally have had at least one building inside. Distribution Ireland In Irish language sources they are known by a number of names: ' (anglicised ''rath'', also Welsh ), ' (anglicised ''lis''; cognate with Cornish language, Cornish '), ' (anglicised ''cashel''), ' (anglicised ''caher'' or ''cahir''; cognate with Welsh language, Welsh ', Cornish and Breton language, Breton ') and ' (anglicised ''dun'' or ''doon''; cognate with Welsh and Cornish ') ...
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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'' complex on Inishmore in the Aran Islands. Life and legends Brecan is the oldest of all the local saints of County Clare, and lived around 480 AD. He was grandchild of Carthan Fionn, one of the Dalcassian kings who reigned in Munster around 439 AD. His grandfather was baptized by Saint Patrick at what is now Singland, near Limerick. His father, son of the king, was Eochu Balldearg, or Eochu of the Red Spot. It was recorded that Eochu was hopelessly disfigured and diseased when he was born, but was cured through a miracle by Saint Patrick. Brecan was one of two sons of Eochaidh Bailldearg, the other being Conall Caemh, and was originally named Breasel. A poem from the 14th or 15th century says he was a soldier before becoming a mission ...
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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 Irish monastery at Killeaney on Inis Mór. St Enda is described as the "patriarch of Irish monasticism". Most of the great Irish saints had some connection with Aran. Early life and conversion According to the ''Martyrdom of Oengus'', Enda was an Irish prince, son of Conall Derg of Oriel (Ergall) in Ulster. Legend has it that when his father died, he succeeded him as king and went off to fight his enemies. The soldier Enda was converted by his sister, Saint Fanchea, an abbess. He visited Fanchea, who tried to persuade him to lay down his arms. He agreed, if only she would give him a young girl in the convent for a wife. He renounced his dreams of conquest and decided to marry. The girl she promised turned out to have just died, and Fanchea ...
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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 important archaeological site. History It is not known exactly when was built, though it is now thought that most of the structures date from the Bronze Age and Iron Age. An early Iron Age bird-head Fibula (brooch) was discovered in a wall of the site in 1839. T. F. O'Rahilly surmised in what is known as O'Rahilly's historical model that it was built in the 2nd century BC by the Builg following the Laginian conquest of Connacht. Excavations at the site indicate that the first construction goes back to 1100 BC, when rubble was piled against large upright stones to form the first enclosure. Signs of human habitation and moulds for casting bronze were found and dated towards the end of the Bronze Age in Europe (around 900 BC). Around 500 BC, th ...
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Inverin
Inverin (, meaning "mouth of the river") is a Gaeltacht village between Baile na hAbhann and Minna in County Galway, Ireland. There are Irish-language summer colleges in the area, most notably Coláiste Lurgan and Coláiste Uí Chadhain. The village is on the R336 road and is served by the 424 Bus Éireann route from Galway. ''Cumann Forbartha Chois Fharraige'' is a local development association founded in 1966. The Gaelic Athletic Association club, ''Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Mhícheál Breathnach'', holds a Gaelic football tournament every year on Saint Stephen's Day. An Irish language book club in the village, Club Leabhar Chois Fharraige, meets monthly. The airline Aer Arann Islands is headquartered at Connemara Airport near the village.Contact
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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 its pubs, making it a popular tourist destination. There are numerous nearby archaeological sites, many dating to the Iron Age and earlier. Doonagore Castle and Ballinalacken Castle are also in the area. The area was officially classified as part of the West Clare Gaeltacht (an Irish-speaking community) prior to the 1950s, and maintains a connection with Irish-speaking areas - including via its maritime connection with the Aran Islands. Amenities and tourism Layout The village of Doolin does not have a defined centre, comprising a number of "scattered" sections: * "The Harbour" is the departing point for boat trips to the Aran Islands and the Cliffs of Moher. There is also a campsite nearby * "Fisher Street" has O'Connor's Pub and se ...
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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 located in the Barony of Moycullen. The Irish name means "peninsula (or wood) of the whale (or sea monster)". It may also mean "the wooded hill". The village is the home of the centre under , an Irish language immersion summer camp for teenagers. It is served by Bus Éireann route 424 from Galway. A ferry service to the Aran Islands runs from the harbour. Irish language As of the 2011 census, there were 208 people living in townland, with 73% of these speaking Irish language, Irish daily. See also *List of towns and villages in the Republic of Ireland References

Gaeltacht places in County Galway Towns and villages in Connemara Gaeltacht towns and villages {{Galway-geo-stub ...
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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 during the 1920s in the early years of the Irish Free State, following the Gaelic revival, as part of a government policy aimed at restoring the Irish language. The is threatened by serious language decline. Research published in 2015 showed that Irish is spoken on a daily basis by two-thirds or more of the population in only 21 of the 155 electoral divisions in the . Daily language use by two-thirds or more of the population is regarded by some academics as a tipping point for language survival.RTÉ News Report of Friday 29 May 2015 History In 1926, the official was designated as a result of the report of the first Gaeltacht Commission ''Coimisiún na Gaeltachta''. The exact boundaries were not defined. At the time, an area was clas ...
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