Inis Oírr is the smallest of the Aran Islands, a group of three islands located in the mouth of Galway Bay. It has about 340 permanent residents, but accommodates up to twice this number in summer. The island is small enough that you can visit all the main sites in a few hours; while there are two official hiking routes (Lúb Cheathrú an Phoillín and the shorter Lúb Cheathrú an Locha) it’s more fun to walk around the entire perimeter of the island.
My Inis Oírr island loop starts from the pier, and heads west along the road for about a hundred metres before taking a narrow lane that winds its way up from the coast.
My first brief stop is St. Gobnet’s Church, a medieval church and National Monument which was built in the 11th or 12th century and excavated in 1980. Three raised stone slabs may be graves, altars or even penitence stones.
From the old church I make my way back down to the road that follows the western side of the island, passing what seem to be never-ending stone walls that criss-cross the entire island. Inis Oírr has 2,000 kilometres of stone walls, making it one of the most densely stone-walled parts of Ireland.
Along the road is the Fishermans Memorial – Cloch Chuimhneacháin (Memorial Stone) – which was erected in 2013 to honour all those lost at sea. The sculpture was designed and hand-carved on the island using local stone by artist Alexandra Morosco, with lettering by Karin Sprague. Across the sea is the second-largest Aran island, Inishmaan (Inis Meáin).
A short detour inland takes me to St. Enda’s Well, or Tobar Éanna. It’s said that this sacred well never runs dry, and is the only well on Inis Oírr with the power to heal: “Legend has it that if you go to the well, walk around it seven times reciting the Rosary, and see an eel in the water, you will be cured of your ailments.”
The road kind of fizzles out from here, as it gradually turns from an unpaved road to a route across a sea of rocks. All the roads run in a north/south alignment with almost no cross-links on the southern end of Inis Oírr, so walking around the island involves traversing the natural limestone pavement.
The route alternates between boreen – unpaved lanes of grass and rock – and a series of markers across boulder fields.
Soon the lighthouse, which is near the southern-most point of Inis Oírr, is in sight as I make way carefully through the rocky landscape.
Inis Oírr is geologically an extension of The Burren, and the southern end of the island has some great examples of its typical fissured limestone pavements: the “clints” or slabs are bare, while the “grikes” or grooves shelter wild flowers.
Overlooking the Atlantic Ocean is Charlie Birds Memorial Seat, which commemorates Irish journalist and broadcaster Charles Brown Bird. After battling motor neurone disease for three years, he died in March 2024 and his ashes were scattered on Inis Oírr.
This section along the southern coastline is my favourite: I haven’t seen anyone for over an hour since leaving the paved roads, and it’s quite a contrasting landscape. Look south-west and there’s no sign of civilisation, just the rugged coastline and the wild Atlantic ocean. But look north over the island, and there’s a giant web of interconnected stone walls that reflect many hundreds of years of humans modifying the natural landscape and creating fields for grazing or crops.
I’m soon at Inisheer Lighthouse, an active 19th century lighthouse described as a “a masterpiece of ashlar limestone construction”.
The route continues as a boreen for a short distance, before joining a paved road again.
I could complete the rest of the Inis Oírr loop by road, but it’s more direct (and more interesting) to follow the coastline more closely along a rough trail towards the Plassey Shipwreck.
The MV Plassey (or Plassy) was originally the built as HMS Juliet, a Shakespearian-class Royal Navy trawler used as a minesweeper in the Second World War. In 1947 it was converted into a cargo vessel and sold to the British Merchant service where it was became Peterjon. A few years later in 1951 it was acquired by the Limerick Steamship Company and renamed Plassy. A severe storm on 8 March 1960 pushed it onto Finnis Rock on Inis Oírr, where the shipwreck remains today.
I’m nearing the end of my island circuit as I pass Loch Mór, the only freshwater lake on the island.
There’s a few more interesting sites as I pass the Inisheer Aerodrome and approach the more inhabited northern end of the island. Within the island’s graveyard is Teampall Caomhán, also known as St. Caomhán’s church and The Sunken Church of Inis Oírr. Built in the 10th century at the site of Saint Caomháns grave, the church was nearly buried by drifting sands before it was excavated by the islanders.
Further up the hill is O’Brien’s Castle, also called Furmina Castle (everything on the island has at least two names; normally it’s the same name in Irish and English, unlike this castle!). Built by the Clann Teige (a branch of the powerful O’Brien family) in the early 1400, it was captured and destroyed by Oliver Cromwell’s army in 1652.
Beyond the castle at the highest point of Inis Oírr is An Tur Faire (Tower Ruin), an example of the Napoleonic signalling towers constructed around the Irish coast in the beginning of the 19th century in response to the threat of a French invasion.
As I head back down towards the pier, the last stop is Cnoc Raithní, a prehistoric stone mound that was uncovered by a storm in 1885, and later discovered to be an ancient burial ground that dates back to 1500 BC.
This is just a few minutes away from the ferry pier, where there are multiple kiosks and cafes providing a bite to eat while I wait for my return ferry. It’s taken me about three hours for the 12km loop, but you could easily stretch it to a full day.
Getting around Inis Oírr
As well as hiking, you can hire a bike from a few places near the pier (advance reservation recommended); you can reach all the main attractions this way, but it’s also a bit limiting as you can’t traverse the southern end of the island.
Getting to Inis Oírr
There are two regular ferry services to Inis Oírr:
- From Doolin to the east of the island, which is a quick 15min trip. There are 3-4 sailings daily depending on the time of year.
- From Rossaveel Harbour to the north, with the trip taking about 55min. There are 2-3 sailings daily depending on the time of year, with connecting a bus service to Galway.
The island also has an airstrip, with three flights on most days from Connemara Regional Airport.
More information
- Doolin Ferry – Doolin to Inis Oírr Ferry
- Aran Island Ferries – Inis Oírr (Inisheer) Timetable / Booking
- Bike rental – Joyce Bike Rental / Inisheer Bike Hire
- The Telegraph – Why Ireland’s stone walls hold the fascinating secrets to its past
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