Hope you had an okay week and are well recovered after the Bank Holiday weekend. I won't lie, I found it so hard going back to work on Tuesday. I had one of the best bank holidays ever last weekend. My friends, Ann Marie and Cathy both turned 30 this week. To celebrate the momentous occasion, Ann Marie suggested that we all went to Inis Oirr - the smallest of the Aran Islands!
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| Ann Marie and Cathy |
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| Anthony, Anna, Lorraine, Sarah, Niamh and Diarmaid with their cousin, Annie. |
How Did We Get There?
We got the 10:30 boat from Rossavea, Cp. Galway on Saturday morning and got the return boat at 11:30 from Inis Oirr on the Monday morning. The price of a return boat ticket was €22.50 and it cost €5.00 a day to park the car in Rossaveal, not too bad!
Where Did We Stay?
Ann Marie found the accommodation online. She booked two houses side by side and eight stayed in each house. It was €370.00 to rent each house for the week. If anyone is interested in visiting Inis Oirr and has a big group, then these houses are ideal and in walking distance of the main village. Message me for more details if interested.
What Did We Do For Entertainment?
We entertained ourselves most of the time. I brought my ukulele - I'm not great but can play a handful of tunes. I'd say by the end of Saturday night the gang wanted to belt me over the head with the thing. All joking aside, it's a great little instrument, so light and portable and it's well worth learning a few tunes for a sing song.
Tigh Ned
We went to Ned's on Saturday night to celebrate the girls' birthdays. There was live music here and it was a real lively spot!
An Hotel Ostan
We continued the celebrations here on Sunday night. They had live karaoke and it was the best karaoke I was ever at. The music was hopping and the dance floor was full all night long. This place also does food during the day, although we didn't eat here on this occasion.
Food
We had heard there was only one grocery shop on the island so we came prepared and brought food over on the boat with us. We packed the freezer with pizzas, burgers, and Muireann even made a lasagne which was absolutely delicious!! On the Sunday we went to Teach on Tae for brunch. I got the cheese and chutney sandwich on toasted brown soda bread with salad. I forgot to take a photo but it was lovely - trust me on that!! They also do refreshing smoothies which was ideal for the morning after the night before. There was a fine atmosphere here and the staff even wore badges saying 'Ta gaeilge agam' letting people know they were fluent Irish speakers. I thought this was a lovely touch. In the evening we had a barbecue outside the house we were staying in. Thanks to Michelle and Andrea for manning that!
Other Things To Do On The Island
Visit Tigh Ruairi - We didn't get round to visiting this pub, however everything is in walking distance.
Rent a bike - This costs just €10.00 for the day. Inis Oirr is a small island and is only 3km by 3km wide so it's easy to get round in a day.
The Plassey Shipwreck - This is the shipwreck that features in the opening credits of Father Ted.
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O'Brien's Castle - The highest view point on the island.
Horse and Cart trip - You will see these from the minute you get off the boat. There seems to be plenty of them on the island.
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What to wear?
Don't go packing any high heels because you'll be on your own, that's for sure! This is such a laid back place and I lived in denim shorts, runners, light jumpers and tops for the two days. Having said that, we got the gorgeous weather for it, so maybe replace the denim shorts with jeans if you're coming at a colder time of year. Also, be sure to bring a good jacket. That boat crossing can get very cold!
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| #OOTD1 Lucy and I |
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| #OOTD2 Myself and Ann Marie |
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| #OOTD3 Laura, Andrea, Michelle and Myself |
Who would I recommend Inis Oirr to?
Inis Oirr is really suitable for all ages. It would be a lovely holiday for a couple with young kids who wanted to go away, but didn't want to have the hassle of dealing with security and airports. Plus the boat journey across would be a huge novelty for the kids. I'd highly recommend it for a hen or even for a birthday like we did. If you're looking for laid back, chilled and safe, Inis Oirr is the ultimate staycation for you!
Hope you enjoyed this post. If any of you have visited Inis Oirr and feel like I've left anything out please let me know. Have a great weekend!
Love,
M
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2 comments:
One must say that is a quite wonderful review, Maria .....!
Thank you Mickey C for your feedback!
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