Árainn
Árainn Inishmore |
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Cliffs at Dún Aengus | ||
Waters | Atlantic Ocean | |
Archipelago | Aran Islands | |
Geographical location | 53 ° 7 ′ N , 9 ° 44 ′ W | |
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length | 14 km | |
width | 3 km | |
surface | 30.91 km² | |
Highest elevation | Bentlevemore (Binn an tSléibhe Mhóir) 123 m |
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Residents | 845 (2011) 27 inhabitants / km² |
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main place | Cill Rónáin | |
Location of Árainn |
Árainn [ ˈɑːɾən̠ʲ ] ( ) ( Irish also Árainn Mhór or Inis Mór ; German: "big island", Anglicised Inishmore ) is an island off the west coast of the Republic of Ireland . It belongs to the Aran Islands and is the largest and most westerly inhabited island in the archipelago in Galway Bay . It is around 14 km long and 3 km wide and has 845 inhabitants (as of 2011). The island is known as a haven for the Irish language and culture and for its wealth of pre and early Christian sites. The Aran Islands , like other Irish-speaking areas of Ireland, are known as the Gaeltacht .
history
The island is the birthplace of the poet Máirtín Ó Direáin and the writer Liam O'Flaherty . On its coast, Saint Brendan is said to have built his curragh in 565 and set out on his journey ( Navigatio Sancti Brendani ) across the Atlantic.
In 2014, Red Bull Cliff Diving, a cliff diving competition , took place at Poll na bPéist , a rectangular, natural pool of water on the Atlantic coast .
Tourism and transport
Árainn is a popular tourist destination. The island can be explored on footpaths, horse-drawn carriages, bicycles and minibuses. Árainn is connected to Doolin and Ros an Mhíl in Connemara by ferry. In Cill Éinne ( Killeany ), south of Cill Rónáin , is the Inishmore Aerodrome airport , which Aer Arann flies to several times a day from Inverin with propeller planes of the type Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander . The main town of the island is Cill Rónáin ( Kilronan ), where the island's ferry port is also located. Cill Rónáin offers accommodation in hotels and hostels, a small supermarket and dining options. Day tourism generally dominates Árainn. Above all, the ferry connection from Doolin enables a fast connection between Árainn and the tourist center at the Cliffs of Moher .
Buildings and historical sites
- Ruin of Arkyn's Castle , a 16th century castle
- Dún Dúchathair or Doocaher (German: the black fort), a promontory fort with a so-called rider lock
- St. Eany's Well and Church with the remains of the tower of Turmartin, which collapsed in the 19th century
- Na Seacht dTeampaill (German: the seven churches), ruins of early Christian churches ( St. Kieran's Church, Kilchoran Church, Templebrecan, Templenaneeve - Church of the Saints, Temple Benen, Temple MacDuagh, Temple Soorney )
- Beehive huts , including the Clochán na Carraige , the only completely preserved one on the Aran Islands
- Dún Aonghasa , the most famous of all duns or stone forts in Ireland with an age of over 3000 years
- Dún Eochla and Dún Eoghanachta are other round-shaped forts
- some dolmens (e.g. Oghil Wedge tomb ) and stone crosses
- St. Benan's Church , the smallest oratory in Ireland
- Leachtanna cuimhne , a type of mock grave mainly found on Inishmore
More than 30 prehistoric and protohistoric sites are registered on the island.
Photo gallery
Web links
- Dún Dúchathair or Doocaher (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Table No. 11 Population of inhabited Islands off the coast, 2006 and 2011 . In: Central Statistics Office (Ed.): Population Classified by area . Dublin 2012, pp. 132-133 ( PDF file; 3.64 MB ( memento of October 10, 2012 in the Internet Archive ))
- ↑ Red Bull Cliff Diving Inis Mór