I'm going to be in Ireland in May and had considered spending a day taking the ferry out to the Island and seeing the sites and coming back but a good friend recently got back from Ireland and felt like it was not time well spent because the boat ride from Doolin took longer than advertised and once you saw Dun Angus you pretty much saw everything to see on the island and by the time they got back to their car they felt that they had spent a whole day with no much to show for it. I need to know what others have experienced on the trips to the Aran Islands.
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
13905 posts
I was on a Rick Steves Ireland tour which took the ferry from Rossaveal to Inishmore for the day. I enjoyed Dun Angus but really, the rest of the island was not terribly interesting to me. I am glad I went as I didn't know it was not going to be my cup of tea and doubt I would have believed anyone who told me otherwise. In retrospect, I would have rather spent more time in the Burren but as I was on the tour that was not an option. The plus thing about the ferry was that we could see the Cliffs of Moher which were totally fogged in the day we visited. (I saw your other thead asking about time frame for that.)
Posted by
Gator country
172 posts
I concur with your good friend and Pam - not worth it. I was there in October 2014 on a Rick Steves tour. I would find a better place to use up a day's itinerary. I thought Dun Angus was a tourist trap and there's nothing else except a lot of rocks.
Posted by
Denver, CO
18 posts
Not to make this more confusing for you, but I loved our day on the island. And I thought Dun Aengus was an incredible site. I was not on a Rick Steves tour and I stayed the night on the island, so it was a slower, more peaceful day, but one that I truly enjoyed. The island is very peaceful and quiet in the evening and early morning.
Regardless of what you choose, the quickest and easier route of getting there is from Rossaveal near Galway. I'd recommend that over Doolin for departure points.