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About Inis Oirr

Map of Inís Oírr

Above you find a Google map of Inis Oirr with marked locations relevant to Craiceann. Please use your mouse to move the map and click on the red marked spots for more info about relevant places.

A magical place

Inís Oírr

Inis Oirr (pronounced – “inish ear”) is the smallest of the three Aran Islands, the others being Inis Mor, and Inis Meain. They lie in a northwesterly line across the mouth of Galway Bay, with their backs to the Irish coastline, and their faces across the Atlantic Ocean towards America.

In the Irish language the word “inis” means island, “ meain ” means middle, “mor” means big, and “oirr” means easterly, so Inis Oirr is the island that is the most easterly of the three Aran Islands.

These islands are magical places, populated originally by hardy seafaring people whose ancestry goes back into the mists of Gaelic history, and where even today, the first choice language of everyday life is Irish, with English used only with visitors or mainlanders who have lost their mother tongue.

Today the islanders are an integral part of the modern successful Ireland of the new millennium, and are likely to be as familiar with high technology as they are with traditional crafts. However, one part of their past culture that remains strong, is their music, which is the same Irish music that is now played and enjoyed all over the world.

the Island

Travel

Travel advise

Getting there

Your trip to Craiceann will obviously depend on your home location, but let’s start your plan at the final destination, and describe in reverse order the steps needed to complete your journey.

From Irish mainland to Inis Oirr

This stage can be achieved either by sea or air. There are two ferry routes, one departing from Doolin in County Clare, and one from Rossaveel in County Galway.
There is also a connection by plane through Connemara Airport.

Both the Rossaveel ferry and the air service offer a shuttle bus connection from Galway city centre.

  • Ferry from Doolin

    A shorter boat journey (ca.20 mins) from Doolin, but in very rough sea conditions delays are possible.

    O’Brien Line, phone: +353 65 707 5555

    Doolin Ferry, phone: +353 65 7074 455

  • Ferry from Rossaveel

    The Rossaveel journey is longer (ca. 80 mins) and calls at Inis Meain on route, but ferries here can travel in all but severe storm conditions.

    Aran Island Ferries,  phone: +353 91 561767

  • Plane from Connemara Airport

    A small local airline called Aer Aran Islands operates a daily service to Inis Oirr from Connemara Airport in Inverin County Galway, and the journey takes around 10 mins. In very bad weather conditions, flights may be suspended, but this is infrequent.

    Aer Aran Islands, phone +353 91 593034

From elsewhere in Ireland to Doolin, Rosaveal, Inverin

Those who have their own car, or have hired one, can drive to any of the three destinations, and leave their vehicle there. The routes can be seen on any good road map of Ireland.

Galway can be reached by train or bus from Dublin, and by bus from Shannon Airport. Changing at Galway, buses of the ferry company or the airline then travel to Rosaveal or Inverin.

Doolin can be reached by bus from Dublin or Shannon airport. 

Into Ireland from other countries

The two main options here are either ferries from UK or mainland Europe (France), or flights into Dublin or Shannon airports. It is also possible to fly into Knock in County Galway, or Belfast in Northern Ireland from some destinations.

Find a place to stay

Accomodation

Accommodation on the island is of four types – one small hotel, one pub with B&B, a range of private homes offering B&B, and a hostel. For those of a hardy disposition there is also a campsite on the island, but people wishing to use this will need to bring all their own equipment.It is advisable to book in advance, and a list of contact phone numbers is shown below. All but the hostel provide breakfast as part of the daily rate, but hostel living involves providing and preparing your own food. Lunch and dinner are available in the hotel, restaurant, and pubs. It is not our policy to recommend any particular accomodation. Each student must make his/her own arrangements.

List of Options

During and post Covid the non-islander accommodation situation has changed somewhat, and has not yet settled back into its previous pattern.  Because of this, each student must firstly ensure their chosen accommodation is confirmed BEFORE signing up for Craiceann.

If there are any difficulties, please contact Micheál Ó hAlmhain on the island either by phone at +353 099 75067 or email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and he will assist in any way possible.

An up to date list of accommodation for the island of Inis Oírr can be found here:

List of Accomodation
Accomodation

Reminder list before travelling

  • There is no bank on the island and card payment is normally accepted, but it is a good idea to bring sufficient cash Euros just in case
  • Contact your ferry or plane operator for weather update
  • Bring phone numbers with you for ferries and airline
  • If flight or Doolin ferry doubtful, reschedule for Rossaveal ferry
  • Bring wet weather clothing as precaution