A description of the tour
Heading from Kilronan Village, we come to Oughill Church, the islands oldest Roman Catholic church built in 1848. To the left are some of Arans few remaining thatch cottages and should be noted as they are in danger of vanishing from Arans landscape. Thatching takes place in September and around St. Martins Day in October when good weather is guaranteed. The thatch is unique to the islands and is of Rye Grass grown locally. Some of these buildings are 2 or 3 hundred years old. When viewing, locals privacy should be observed.

Journeying westward we pass by the church of the Four Comley Saints, Brendan, Breacan, Fursa and Conall, who are reported to be buried under the eastern gable. South of the church is  Tobar an Cheathrar Álainn , about which John Millington Synge wrote  The Well of the Saints. Also to the east of the church is  Tobar na Suil the well of the eyes, which is said to restore sight. Also to the south on the hillside is a wedge tomb and remains of a massive multi villate ring fort dating to about 4,000 B.C. As we leave behind Baile na Creige and Corruch we head down Gregorys hill and the remains of the blacksmiths house still in use in the late 60 s.

As we make our decent to Cill Muirbhí (The church of the Murvey) and westwards around the stunning white beach (awarded Blue Flag) we arrive at  Cnocán na mBan the hill of the women, a small graveyard still used today, it is said that it was from this hill that the O Brien family watched as a 14th century land feud left many people dead.

Stop 1: Kilmurvey Village: a place for a cup of tea and a meal in any one of a handful of cafe's. Its also a great place to browse all of the craft shops.

Stop 2: Now we stand at the foot of one of the worlds famous monuments, Dun Aonghusa, which stands on the highest cliffs on Inis Mór. Built some 4 thousand years ago, its walls encapsulate some 14 acres and boasts a splendid chevre du fris. More information may be obtained in the Interpretive Centre before you commence your walk/climb.

As we resume our journey westward through Sruthán and Eoghnacht passing by the birthplace of the poet Máirtín Ó Direáin, one of Arans most famous sons. His poems refer to island life in the 40s and 50s. On the hill to the south you will see Dun Eoghanachta, a single walled ring fort dating from about 800 B.C.

Stop 3: As we turn to our right off the main road we come to  Na Seacht Teampaill the 7 Churches, which were built on the earlier site of a monastery dedicated to St. Breacan. Evidence of an earlier gable end dating from the 6th century can be seen in the largest church. The churches host some wonderful examples of late Christian architecture, to the west of the church is  leaba an spirid naomh the Bed of the Holy Ghost. Within which stands the remains of a high cross with some fine examples of interlacing. Also there is a sundial, and in the most eastern corner are the beds of the seven Roman scholars who were sent to Aran in the 9th century to reform Arans churches. It must be remembered that Aran was one of the foremost schools in Europe and from Aran many scholars and monks went east to France, England and Germany to a Europe awakening from the Dark Ages. As we leave and go back up the hill to Creig a Chéirín we finally arrive at Arans most western point and the village of  Bungabhla which hosts some spectacular scenery. The islands to the west are Brannock and Earrach with lighthouse and the Atlantic and all its beauty.

We now turn and look eastward again, as we begin our return journey the next structure of historical interest is Clochán na Carraige, a late 4th century bee hive hut, which resembles bee hives, thus giving its collective name. This monastic cell would have been occupied by hermit monks living in total isolation. These were the pioneers of Irish Christianity.

Stop 4 : Maggie Danin Cottage is the next stop, Thatch cottage in the smallest village on the island

Stop 5: As we skirt along the coastline to Cill Murbhí again we arrive at the Man of Aran cottages, built as a set for the world acclaimed 1942 movie  The Man of Aran . Directed by Robert O Flaherty it depicted life on the islands, the making of land, fishing Basking Shark and fishing from the cliffs, the storm scenes in the movie are to be noted. And also the actors who were chosen locally were Tiger King, Maggie Dirrane and Pat Dillane. Another movie by O Flaherty,  Nanook of the North has also won world wide acclaim.

Rounding the bay we vear off to our left and head eastward on the lower road or  An Bóthar thua as it is known locally. Here looking from left to right wonderful examples of the cultivation of the island can be observed, from barren rock to small green fields.

Stop 6: 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.

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.

A short distance eastward we come to Mainistir, which gets its name from St. Ciarans monastery, founded in the 5th century by St. Ciaran, 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  Ahrla 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 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.

As we leave St. Ciarans monastery 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 attemped to go to Sunday mass. Also on this hillside is  Teach an Mailleach, 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.

We are nearing the end of our journey and as we come back to the village of Cill-Ronan 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.

We hope that you will come and visit our wonderful island so steeped in history and tradition and we hope that we can make your stay a memorable one.