Don't Complicate My Peace of Mind

Have you ever discovered something so great you don’t want to share it and risk losing it or having it tarnished in some way? That is how I felt about my trip to Inisheer. As fortune would have it I don’t have much to share in the way of pictures as my camera battery died, but I will share my story and what photos I have.

The whole trip started out as a way to save a weekend that was fumbled by a cancelled trip to Cork. Ever since our first trip to Inis Mor and my completion of Synge’s Aran Islands I have wanted to return, as did Norah. We had been thinking of going to the second largest island Inishmaan but our guidebooks pointed us towards the smallest sibling and the least touristy island, Inisheer or Inis Oirr. This morning as we left to go to the bus stop gray overcast clouds lay over us, but sitting on the bus they began to dissipate to the beautiful blue skies Galway occasionally sees. Luckily the weather stuck with us all day, and made our trip that much more spectacular. After about a forty-five minute ferry ride we arrived on the island and rented bikes. At first I was a little unsettled, on Inishmore we had departed the ferry with dozens of other tourists and were greeted by vendors and tour guides and a collection of restaurants and gift shops on the shore, but on Inisheer we departed with three other tourists and had to search for a restaurant. I felt a bit like I was trespassing and that I stuck out, I realize now this feeling came from being one of only a few who visit the island and I wasn’t trespassing but stumbling upon a well kept secret. It was such a blessing to be one of the few let in on the secret, we were able to bike the roads with little interference from cars or walkers or other bikers and on parts of the island it felt like we were completely alone surrounded by the best of nature. I don’t know that I can properly describe and portray the beauty of the island, but I can tell you there are no bad views in Inisheer. The coast of Ireland is never too far in the distance on one side of the island, a constant gray blue shadow across the water, the best view of Ireland from Inisheer is those it gives of the Cliffs of Moher, not spectacular in height or magnitude in the distance but one can still see the waves crashing against the great walls, and best of all the hoards of tourists are no where to be seen. On the other side of the island are the views of the middle sibling Inishmaan, close in proximity one can view the houses and hills of the island. The coasts of the island itself are sights to be seen, as an outcrop of the Burren some of the coast has the similar flaked stone look of the Burren, while others featured large brown rocky cliffs and best of all white sandy beaches.

The island isn’t very large and it doesn’t have some of the more magnificent sights of the larger islands but it isn’t cheap in offerings. The best thing about the sights on the island were their accessibility and openness, most of them didn’t have markings or historical information (somewhat frustrating I’ll admit). There are two ruined churches on the island; the most impressive is Teampall Chaomhain. Built below the level of the sand it is a 10^th century church that has to be annually dug out of the sand. Though small, it is well maintained and it’s an interesting perspective to step down into the church and see the grassy hills rise above you. Another big attraction is a natural well which is said to have healing powers. Out in the middle of a maze of stone fences the well sits unassuming, so much so that Norah and I missed it at first. I don’t know much about the history of the well or any stories of its miraculous cures, I did take three sips from it (a magical number in Irish folklore) but have yet to feel a significant change. And now we get to the sight that made me want to keep this all a secret, a sight I had not been informed of in any guidebook. On the coast opposite the Cliffs of Moher sits a shipwrecked boat. The woman at the bike hire had informed us that there was a shipwreck but she gave us the information almost as an afterthought and while we looked for it we hardly expected what we came across. Emerging from a maze of high stonewalls there it was burning orange against the bright blue sky, the rusted but largely intact remains of the Plassey cargo ship. It was hard to comprehend, and my perspective of it constantly changed. As we first came across it, it was striking but against the long open coastline it didn’t seem so big, as I came closer I realized its size and heft and was suddenly struck by how odd it all seemed. It felt like something from an absurdist novel or a surrealistic movie, an entire ship abandoned on the shores of an island and just left there to rust away, I was expecting some eccentric old man to pop out from its deckhouse to spout a complicated epigram of wisdom or shout at me from a porthole. Of course it was at this point in our trip that my camera died. While I have lately been enjoying using the camera more sparingly (landscape is a little monotonous when you’re not Ansel Adams) I was actually quite disappointed in my camera. It was such an interesting subject, its placement, its secrets, and the conditions of the day would have created some fantastic shots. I was able to get a photo, but I wish I could have done more with it.

It took us three hours to bike the entire island, and this time with out incident. We had enough time to sit for an hour on the beach and watch the waves roll in. Though I say this every time I go somewhere, I really do believe that Inisheer is my favorite place I've been so far. With its natural beauty, accessible size and historic tradition its a place I could see myself settling in for a bit and maybe someday I will.

Inisheer Photos