Looking at doing a day trip to Inis Mor from Doolin; we will be coming from Galway and continuing on to Limerick for the night. We don't have a rental car and I'm wondering if there are any luggage drop options in Doolin or on the island itself so we don't have to cart our bags around with us. TIA!
Posted by
Mountains of S. Oregon
601 posts
I'd email the ferry operator if someone doesn't answer your question definitively.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA ☔️
6788 posts
An alternative you might consider: There are several ways you can get to Inishmore: by ferry (via Rossaveel near Galway, or from Doolin -- either ferry will be pretty slow travel); or you can go by plane from a small airstrip near Galway (actually quite near the ferry port in Rossaveel). Taking the plane is wicked fast, and shockingly cheap (it's subsidized by the government), and IMHO a much better way to get there and back.
Consider switching your Inishmore day-trip departure point from Doolin to (near) Galway, skip the slow ferry and fly. Flying is quite a hoot (tiny plane, flying jaw-droppingly low, it's literally a 10-minute hop), and the views are spec-fricking-tacular. Best of all: catch the early plane out to the island, and the late plane back to Galway, and you get several more hours on the island to enjoy it, plus you beat the ferry day-trippers by a few hours, so it's uncrowded. Leave bags at your Galway hotel.
I'll just add that time on Inishmore is precious: on our trip to Ireland (which was absolutely full of awesome experiences), the time spent on Inishmore turned out to be one of the top highlights...and we spent 2 nights, so (using the plane to get there) we actually had one full day plus two partial days there. If you can manage it, spending the night on Inishmore is worth it. Whether you do that or not, you can maximize your time there by taking the plane rather than the ferry.
Hope that helps. Enjoy beautiful Ireland.
Posted by
OP
US
12 posts
Thank you for the advice, it's much appreciated! We are moving on from Galway to Limerick by way of Inis Mor, so unfortunately not an option to keep bags in Galway. I would love to stay on the island but nothing available for just one night. The plane or the Rossaveel ferry might be an option from Galway and then take the ferry to Doolin as that's the closer port to our next overnight in Limerick, but still the question of where the bags can go during our time on the island...
Posted by
OP
US
12 posts
As a follow up for anyone who would like to know, Aer Arann will hold luggage at the airport for return flight passengers. I was told that the tourist office on Inis Mor will also hold luggage for a small fee, amount not specified. I was also told there are no facilities for luggage storage at the ferry terminals.
Thank you to David for your suggestion of flying to the island, we are looking forward to the adventure and beating the crowds! :)