Inis Mór: A Day Trip to the Remote Aran Islands
A visit to Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way wouldn’t be complete without a day trip to the Aran Islands, its most remote destination. There are three islands to visit, but Inis Mór is the largest and has the most to see and do by a wide margin compared to the other two islands.
Within a mere 12 square miles, you can find Iron Age forts, early Christian ruins and some of Ireland’s best rugged landscapes. It’s all out of the way from the mainland, but that’s kind of the point.
Don’t miss a chance to take a day trip to Inis Mór!
Updated December 2024
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Orientation to Inis Mór
Inis Mór is the largest of the three Aran Islands and the main tourist hub for those visiting due to its many prehistoric and medieval ruins. That said, it’s only 12 square miles large with a population of 840 people.
The island looks and feels desolate. Much of the flora is only scrubby grass growing over a bedrock of limestone. Try to imagine what it must be like to live here while you make your way across the island. Then, imagine what it would be like in the cold, dreary months of winter.
Laced across the entire landscape are dry stone walls to separate plots of land. These are walls of piled rocks that are easily disassembled and then reassembled to create easy passages for livestock.
It’s uncertain exactly who the early settlers of Inis Mór were. They were likely early Celtic peoples looking for a safe haven from attack. These Iron Age people are responsible for many of the oldest ruins on the Aran Islands. Later settlers would be early Christians who spread Christianity to the islands with their various monastic sites as early as the late 5th century.
Biking Around Inis Mór
The most popular way to tour Inis Mór is by bike. It’s just so convenient to be able to pedal your bike up to any sight, stop, and spend as much time as you like exploring. Aside from that, being in the open air on a bike makes you feel closer to the island itself. You get the wind in your face, the smells of the island in your nostrils and feel the Irish rain on your skin.
Aran Islands Bike Hire is right off the Inis Mór pier making for a convenient place to rent a bike. They offer every type of bike you could possibly need. I highly recommend an e-bike. They’re a lot of fun to ride (once you get the hang of it), and they let you go much faster than a regular bike which means you can cover more distance in less time. They are twice as expensive as a regular bike (€40 instead of €20), but it’s worth the extra money.
Once you pick up your bike, your first stop should be the Spar market just up the road to pick up some lunch. There are a couple food options at the far end of the High Road (more on that shortly) but save yourself some money with food from the market.
A Bike Misadventure
We did have a bit of an incident while biking on the island. About ten minutes along the High Road, Michelle was ahead of me when I heard what sounded like a gunshot. Within seconds, I realized what the noise was: One of Michelle’s tires blew out.
(This isn’t meant to deter you from using Aran Bike Hire. These things happen no matter how well cared for the bike is. I never had any issues with my bike and Michelle had no issues with her replacement.)
With poor cell reception on the island, I had to pedal back to the rental company while Michelle waited on the side of the road. The people at Aran Islands Bike Rental couldn’t have been more helpful. An older gentleman loaded my bike and a spare into his pickup truck and drove me back to Michelle.
It was actually a nice experience all things considered. I had a lovely conversation with the man about what life on the island is like during winter months (it’s not pleasant) and his children living in America. I’m not the most extroverted person when it comes to just having conversations with strangers, but I have to say I enjoyed the ride back to Michelle.
Don’t let this experience deter you from using Aran Islands Bike Rental. Accidents happen. I had no issues with my bike and Michelle had no trouble with her replacement. If anything, I would recommend them even more highly due to how helpful they were.
Inis Mór Highlights
You’ve reached the island, you have your bike and you have your picnic lunch, now what do you do with your five hours before the ferry takes you back?
First of all, the island is pretty easy to navigate. There is the High Road that goes from Kilronan to Dun Aengus, a road that goes out to the western tip of the island from the intersection with the High and Low Roads, the Low Road that goes along the northern coast of the island, and then a road that goes south from Kilronan to the southeast tip of Inis Mór. You can get from Kilronan to Dun Aengus and back in about an hour if you don’t make any stops (or blow a tire).
I’ll describe what we saw in the order we saw them. We first went out along the High Road towards Dun Aengus. After visiting Dun Aengus, we took the western road to see the Seven Churches and then returned to Kilronan along the Low Road.
The High Road offers more to see and is a bit more challenging due to some hills. For these two reasons, I think it’s best to start out here while you’re full of energy and come back via the Low Road.
Dun Eochla
Our first stop of the day was an impromptu visit to Dun Eochla. I noticed this ring fort and the ruined lighthouse up on the hill as we got a little farther from the main residential area. I was so excited to see some ruins that I couldn’t pass these up.
Once you’re at the top of the hill, you’re rewarded with some great views of the surrounding landscape and ruins to explore. These ruins are nice because most people pass them up on their way to Dun Aengus, so you may have them all to yourself.
Take some time to explore the lighthouse ruins before making the short trek through the reeds to the ring fort. When you reach the ring fort, you can walk around it to take in the whole structure. There are signs warning you not to climb the fort itself for fear of injuring yourself or damaging the ruins.
While it lacks the grandeur and impressive location of Dun Aengus, Dun Eochla is almost a better experience than Dun Aengus because of the lack of crowds. It’s quite the evocative atmosphere up there with just yourself and the ruins.
Be warned: It is a very steep hill to get to Dun Eochla. If you are riding an e-bike, you may want to leave the bike at the bottom because it wasn’t easy pushing its heavy frame and battery up the hill.
The Wormhole (Poll na bPeist)
The wormhole is a bit of a geological oddity. It’s a section of limestone rock that has been eroded way to form what looks like 90-degree edges. There are channels underneath the rock leading out to the sea allowing it to fill with water.
It looks like a manmade swimming pool but it’s all natural. That said, swimming or even entering the water is strongly advised against because of the turbulent waters.
Still, many people venture to this part of Inis Mór just for the change to admire this natural feature.
I don’t usually regret missing out on things when we travel because we’re pretty proficient with our planning, but the Wormhole is one of those rare things I wish we had not skipped.
The Wormhole is the one thing on this list we didn’t visit. It was on our itinerary but between Michelle’s blown tire and neither of us identifying the turn correctly, we ended up having to skip this stop. The turn for the Wormhole comes about a quarter mile before the road up to Dun Aengus. Keep your eyes peeled if you’re planning to stop here.
Dun Aengus (Dún Aonghasa)
If prehistoric Iron Age ring forts are your thing, Dun Aengus will likely be the best thing you’ll ever see. All joking aside, Dun Aengus is incredible.
The fort is believed to be 2,000 years old, but beyond that, it’s largely shrouded in mystery. Scholars believe the site was chosen for its defensive advantages but that the structure itself was likely used for religious purposes. Whether true or not, it certainly gives off a mysterious vibe for us tourists who come to visit now in the 21st century.
More impressive than the fort are the panoramic views of Inis Mór’s southern coast and the openness of the Atlantic Ocean beyond. At one point, this ring fort would have been fully enclosed, but years of cliff erosion have caused the southern part of the fort to fall into the sea giving us spectacular views. Intrepid visitors can stand on the cliff’s edge and imagine what it must have been like for Iron Age people to look out on the ocean thinking they were standing upon the edge of the world.
To get to Dun Aengus, you have to climb uphill over some steep and slippery stairs. The steepness is not too difficult unless you have a mobility impairment. It’s the slickness of the limestone stairs that is no joke. No one fell while we visited, but you do have to be careful to avoid slipping.
The Seven Churches (Na Seacht dTeampaill)
The Seven Churches is a monastic site from the 7th or 8th century. Despite the name, there are actually only two churches at this location. The other buildings are believed to be monastic dwellings for visiting pilgrims.
Like so much else in Ireland, wandering around these ancient ruins is an evocative experience that is hard to describe.
It’s a bit out of the way to get to the Seven Churches. If you are following the High Road as it approaches the small village of Kilmurvey, instead of continuing right on to the Low Road, take the intersecting road that leads west along the coast. You’ll know you did the right thing if there is a small beach off to your right. From there, it’s about a 10-to-15-minute bike ride to the actual site.
Because of the time involved to get to the Seven Churches, I would recommend skipping this unless you really like ruined graveyards and churches. Further, there are way better, similar ruins elsewhere in Ireland. I love things like this, but it just isn’t worth the time involved when there are other things you can check out on Inis Mór. Personally, I wish we had gone back to visit the Wormhole.
The Low Road
To the best of my knowledge, the Low Road does not have any historic sites to visit. What it lacks in these sites, it makes up for in views of the shore and ocean. The entire road takes you along the northern coast of Inis Mór granting bikers lovely scenery as you make your way back to Kilronan.
Seal Colony
About halfway along the Low Road there is a pull-off to the left overlooking a rocky bit of shoreline. Apparently, this is a popular spot for the local seal population to come ashore to hang out.
Sadly, we didn’t see any. Despite that, it is a nice section of the coast to stop to admire for a bit while you give your legs a rest. There are also benches available if you need a seat while you take in the views.
Kilronan, Inis Mór
Even though you start your trip in Kilronan, you really should wait to explore it till the end of your bike ride around Inis Mór. There are a couple things worth seeing in Kilronan, but none of them are as good as the sights around the rest of the island. Maximize your time at these other places. Then, check out Kilronan with what time you have left.
End Your Day at The Bar
There’s not much special about The Bar to be honest. It’s just nice to look out at the sea with a cold beer while you rest and reflect on everything you’ve seen over the past few hours. They also have a food menu, but we were content with just our Guinness and Smithwick’s.
At night, you can hear music from local musicians nightly during the main tourist season and on weekends the rest of the year.
Bike to the Northeast Tip of Inis Mór
We had about 20 minutes before we had to catch our ferry back to Doolin, so we decided to bike out along the coast from Kilronan towards the northeast tip of the island. This actually ended up being my favorite part of our trip to Inis Mór.
It felt as remote as you could get on an already remote island. It was desolate, quiet, and it felt like it was just me, the shoreline and the sea beyond. (Michelle stayed behind to coax me back so we wouldn’t miss our ferry back.)
At a certain point, you have to dismount your bike due to how rocky the ground gets. It’s worth the little bit of walking to keep going farther.
As you keep going, the sea wall to protect against rising tides changes to an older rock wall similar to the other walls throughout Inis Mór. There’s a section of the wall that either collapsed due to erosion or else was left unfilled. Regardless, it really adds to the feeling of desolation that permeates the air on this section of the island.
With More Time in Inis Mór
Stay Overnight
We were supposed to stay overnight. However, the bed and breakfast we reserved needed to cancel our reservation at the last second due to a death in the family. It was pretty disappointing, but I can’t blame them for needing to cancel.
We tried unsuccessfully to reserve something else at the last second. Because it’s a small island, there aren’t a lot of places to stay. On top of that, apparently there was a movie filming while we were there, so the cast and crew were taking up a lot of the lodgings.
Regardless, if your Ireland itinerary allows it, you should definitely stay overnight in Inis Mór. You can have the island to yourself while all the other tourists take the ferry back to the mainland. It also gives you more time to explore the southeastern section of the island.
Just outside of Kilronan, there are some glamping sites overlooking the sea you can reserve for your overnight stay. We rode past these on our way out to the northeastern part of the island. They look amazing. Try to book these as early as you can once you know the date of your visit.
Visit the Southeast Tip of Inis Mór
Inis Mór has a whole other section of the island with more historic sights to visit. Unfortunately, with only five hours on the island for day trippers, it’s difficult to fit these in unless you prioritize them.
Here is a list of the four main things to see on this part of Inis Mór:
- St. Enda’s Church
- St. Benen’s Church
- Arkin Fort
- the Black Fort (Dún Duchathair)
Getting to Inis Mór
To get to Inis Mór, you can take a ferry out of Rossaveal near Galway or Doolin. There are also flights you can take from Connemara Regional Airport.
We used the Doolin Ferry Company out of Doolin to take us to Inis Mór. I highly recommend them. Their website was easy to use, and they helped us change our return ferry when our hotel on Inis Mór had to cancel on us at the last second. Most importantly, their ferry departed and arrived exactly when it was scheduled.
The nicest part of the ferry to Inis Mór was the ride itself. The ferry has open air seating above deck to let you take in the plentiful sights and cozy seats inside when you need to rest when coming back to the mainland.
As you depart Doolin Pier, make sure to look back for a glimpse of the Cliffs of Moher. You can’t see the most iconic cliff views, but it’s still fun to see the smaller cliffs from out at sea. Farther out, you’ll see the other Aran Islands, Inisheer and Inishmaan. Keep your eyes peeled as you pass Inisheer to spot a shipwreck on the beach and O’Brien’s Castle.
A few practicalities to note about the ferry:
- parking at Doolin Pier for a day trip to Inis Mór costs €5 (€15 if overnighting)
- bring a jacket, especially if you plan on sitting on the top deck
- the ferry is not direct, so make sure you don’t disembark until the last stop
- you disembark in Kilronan, the main village in Inis Mór
Our Drive to Doolin Pier from Galway
Spare me this self-indulgence, but I want to tell you about our trip from Galway to Doolin as a precautionary tale for anyone going to Inis Mór by way of Doolin.
It starts in the city center of Galway where we were already running a few minutes late for various reasons. This was unfortunate because we were on a very tight schedule. The ferry to Inis Mór would leave at 10:00 a.m. If we missed it, we’d have to wait for a later ferry which would have really limited our time on the island. Not to mention the fact that we already purchased tickets for the 10:00 a.m. ferry.
Still, it was around 9:00 a.m., and Doolin was only about 45 miles away. We figured we’d be fine. We were about to receive an untimely lesson in what Ireland’s rural roads are like! If you’ve ever driven in Ireland, you know what I mean. Let’s also not forget that we’re American, and Michelle had only ever driven once before on the opposite side of the road.
You can probably see where this is going, right?
Cue the narrow roads, blind bends and hedgerows growing right against the road. The minutes kept ticking away. Nonetheless, as long as traffic stayed light and nothing unforeseen happened, we would still be at the pier with about ten minutes to spare.
That’s when the giant utility truck appeared. There we were in our small rental car on a “two-lane road” going maybe 20 mph behind this truck taking up both lanes of traffic while watching our ETA get delayed by an uncomfortable amount. Michelle was getting stressed. I wasn’t helping by declaring each time the ETA ticked up by a minute.
After what felt like ages, we reached a small town where we passed that dastardly truck. That’s when Michelle transformed into a rally car racer. I’m not exaggerating when I say this was a white-knuckle ride. We were flying! I was getting nervous and could only assume Michelle had blacked out while letting instincts take over.
How we didn’t die is still a question that haunts my dreams. And yet, we made it with literally just a couple minutes to spare. We parked, picked up our passes, boarded, and were on our way all in a matter of no more than five minutes.
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