Galway – Árainn, Inishmoreby Pamela de Brí

The largest of the Aran Islands, Árainn / Inis Mór has a population of around 800. It is a Gaeltacht area. Geologically the island is an extension of the Burren in Co Clare, with a limestone karst landscape. Árainn has been inhabited from the end of the Stone Age (4000 -2000BC) but its most impressive prehistoric remains are the stone forts (e.g. Dún Aonghasa) which date from 100AD. Éanna (St Enda) arrived here in the 5th century and established a famous monastery. The O’Briens and the O’Flahertys once fought each other here and in the 16th century Cromwell had a garrison on the island. Árainn is now a major tourist destination