West Ireland

"A little bit of heaven fell from out the sky one day..." so the old song goes. And western Ireland is a celestial place for a vacation. With mist-shrouded hills...a relaxed pace of life… and the soothing sound of the sea never far away… They say this a place that once visited is never forgotten. Ireland has a spiritual quality that is rare among western countries—difficult to define, but impossible to miss. It’s a mystical land, rich in legends of fairies and supernatural beings...stone age tombs...and ancient castles.

What some early invaders found undesirable about the west is what intrigues visitors today. Stark, barren stretches of landscape, rimmed by rugged coastline make this a kind of a wild paradise. And the people…well, there are none friendlier in the world.

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Want to find out for yourself? Visit the Tourism Ireland Website.

 

Getting to the Aran Islands

We’re off on a salt-sprayed journey through the mouth of Galway Bay to check out Ireland’s cultural time capsules: the Aran Islands. On these special islands, traditional ways of life have survived for centuries.

Inishmore, the largest of the three Aran Islands, is also the most accessible.

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There are several possible departure points for the Aran Islands. The shortest ferry to Inishmore is from Rossaveal port courtesy Aran Direct (formerly Inis Mor Ferries). Owned and operated by islanders, Aran Direct provides service to all three Aran Islands and, since the airing of this show, the company has added brand new state-of-the-art 250-seater passenger ferries to its fleet. For schedules, check out www.arandirect.com.

 

The Burren & Bikes

The strange, lunar-like landscape south of Galway in county Clare may be western Ireland’s most remarkable site. This is called the Burren, which is Irish for “rocky country”, and it stretches about a hundred square miles. A great way to see the Burren up close is to rent a bicycle in the town of Balyvaughn.

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For more information, check out Burren bike rental information.

 

Irish Soda Bread

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TIP A recipe for Irish Soda Bread is available through www.recipehound.com.

 

Glor Irish Music Center

Music is the soul of Ireland. The sounds of traditional Irish instruments such as fiddle and pipe pervade the towns and countryside. And one of the very best places to hear authentic Irish music is at the Glor Music Center in the town of Ennis.

Favored by serious performers, Glor has quickly established itself as the place to hear genuine music in west Ireland.

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For more information, visit the Glor Irish Music Centre.

 

• West Ireland
• Getting to the Aran Islands
• The Burren & Bikes
• Irish Soda Bread
• Glor Irish Music Center