Tag Archives: Aran Islands

A beautiful evening cruise to the Cliffs of Moher and skirting the Aran Islands will take place on Friday evening, September 10, on board the O’Brien Family Doolin Express passenger boat. The cruise, which is a fundraiser for the RNLI lifeboats, will begin at 5pm on the pier in Doolin with a sparkling wine reception as well as fresh, locally grown strawberries and fruit. Boarding for the cruise will be at 6pm where there will be good food and drinks on board as well as music. The cruise leaves for the Cliffs of Moher at 6.15pm and out to Inisheer to view the beauty of the Island from the sea and then sailing back to take in a view of the Burren’s rugged landscape. It is hoped to be back on the pier by 8.30pm approximately. Tickets are €50 each and can be booked from Joe on 087 6260301 or email joequeally@yahoo.com. The cruise had to be called off last …

The Aran Islands and the Burren will feature in two separate episodes of the new season of “No Place Like Home” on RTÉ One. The second episode, airing this Sunday, will see host Kathryn Thomas take in the sights of Inis Mór, go diving in the Atlantic Ocean and glamp overnight on the island; the piece will be accompanied by a live segment airing from the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) in Dublin. In the third episode on September 5, Kathryn explores the Burren and greater Clare, visiting Doolin Cave and swimming at Spanish Point, while a live section will air from the Lafcadio Hearn Japanese Gardens in Co Waterford. Niall Tracey, Director of Marketing at Fáilte Ireland, said: “The “No Place Like Home” series proved extremely popular last year and it is fantastic to be collaborating with RTÉ once again, to encourage people to take breaks at home this autumn. The domestic market will be key over the …

By John Galvin IN what is becoming a New Year’s Eve tradition for me, I headed for North Clare to meet the RNLI’s Joe Queally and others to walk the shoreline at Fanore. Our destination was the deserted village at Loch an Uisce, which was abandoned in the early 1900s. Up to a few weeks ago, I wasn’t even aware of its existence but from the 1820s, there was a settlement of around 14 families right on the shore. They survived by farming, labouring and, of course, fishing and I’m sure it was a hard life. They eked a living by bartering with Aran Islanders, who often traded with them Poteen, obtained from Connemara. The islanders swapped this to obtain essential supplies of turf, vegetables and other goods that were hard to come by. Sometimes the sea was so rough that the currachs were barely able to land and had to return immediately. In these cases, the Poteen was left …

Tourists visiting the Aran Islands will have their journey time cut by more than half from April, as Doolin Ferry Company has announced that it is to launch a new boat, reducing the journey time from Doolin to Inis Oírr from 35 minutes to 15 minutes. The €2 million investment comes on the back of the redevelopment of Doolin Pier and is expected to generate up to 10 seasonal jobs at the ferry company. Liam O’Brien, who is the son of Bill O’Brien, the director of Doolin Ferry Company, said the new 200-passenger ferry, which will be called the Doolin Express, will be in place from April, offering the fastest crossing time to the Aran Islands. “It’s a new boat and we soft-launched it at the Holiday World Show this week. It will take 200 passengers and you will get to Inis Oírr in 15 minutes. It has an electronic stabilising system to counteract the waves and it is the …

A KILLALOE Coast Guard member has netted a national gallantry award for the bravery he showed in saving the lives of three people off Inisheer Pier last June. Transport Minister, Shane Ross presented the Michael Heffernan Bronze Medal for Marine Gallantry to Charlie Hennigar at the Marine Gallantry and Meritorious Service Awards ceremony in Farmleigh House in the Phoenix Park on Friday evening. On Monday, June 6, 2016, Mr Hennigar, who was off duty, was responsible for rescuing three people, when the gangway between the pier on Inisheer and an island ferry ditched into the water, as the stern drifted back out from the quay wall. Realising the gangway was about to fall, as the ferry drifted out, Mr Hennigar managed to pull a woman off the gangway. Subsequently, another woman and a man fell into the water, between the ferry and quay wall. Mr Hennigar climbed down the ladder and managed to pull the woman to safety and then entered …

THREE pay and display parking meters have been installed at Doolin Pier car park. This is in accordance with the Doolin Pier (Parking Places) Bylaws 2016, which came into effect in early June, following their adoption by members of the West Clare Municipal District.The new bylaws have been introduced to regulate parking at one of the primary access points between the mainland and the Aran Islands. Clare County Council says income from the newly introduced parking metres will be used for the implementation of the proposed shoreline facilities at Doolin Pier, including a new visitor facility. Parking for vehicles at Doolin Pier car park will be free for vehicles with the capacity to carry more than 7 passengers. One of the newly installed pay and display machines accept all major credit cards, as well as Debit and Laser cards, as well as coins. The proposed visitor facility at Doolin Pier will replace existing temporary structures and will be part of a …

Members of the public and interested groups can engage in the proposed development of a masterplan and visitor services building for Doolin Pier. An open invitation has been extended to everybody to participate in a public consultation event at Doolin Community Centre between 4pm and 8pm on Tuesday, May 31. Clare County Council recently appointed consultants for the design of proposed shoreline facilities at the new €6m Doolin Pier where an estimated 70,000 to 90,000 passengers are carried to and from the Aran Islands by local-based ferry operators. . The proposed visitor services building will replace existing temporary structures and will be part of a masterplan proposal relating to the development of the pier area in general, vehicle routes to and from Doolin village, and parking and traffic management. Among the functions and operations being considered within the overall plan is the sale of tickets by a number of ferry operators, the serving of food, and the provision of toilet …

QUERRIN Pier was buzzing last Sunday for the launch of a five-hand currach, built by boat-builder, James Madigan. A vessel of this type has not sailed the estuary waters since the 1800s. The launch was in conjunction with the Querrin regatta, which was held last year, for the first time since 1907. Dixie Collins, of the West Clare Currach Club, said that elements of the five-hand currach were unique to West Clare. “She’s just under 30 foot and she’s a five-hand canoe, with a mast up on the bow with a lug sail. That’s a square sail that you use in boats like this. They wouldn’t have been traditionally used in Clare but they would have been used on the Aran Islands and down in Kerry. “She’s a bit wider on the beam and the oars are a bit longer than our three-hand canoe. We’re all quite curious to know how she’ll handle and how she’ll feel. We have people …