An ode to Arranmore: The perfect staycation to get away from it all
The island has a vibrant heritage and culture, and has been inhabited since prehistoric times.
Advertisement
With a population of around 478 people, Arranmore is the perfect location for a peaceful and relaxing getaway.
While it may be small, the island has lots to offer. Whether you're after a lively evening in a local pub with live music and pints, or a day spent hiking and taking in all the natural beauty the island has to offer, you're in luck.
Early's bar will sort you out for food or drink, or both!
The bar is a two-minute walk from the ferry pier, serving bar food as well as their famous stone-baked pizzas.
Advertisement
Early's is a regular spot for both the island's locals and tourists alike, and it is not uncommon to see the guitar brought out for a sing-song.
Photo: Google Maps
It has entertainment nightly in the high season with live bands and discos in 'Early's Live' function room and impromptu sessions in the bar where musicians are always welcome.
If you want more food options, Hughie Mickey Dan's is another well-rated spot on the island, as is The Glen Hotel.
Neily's bar is the perfect spot to watch the sport, or to sit outside with a drink and admire the surrounding views.
Advertisement
As one reviewer puts in: "Unbelievably lovely and relaxed dark pub, exactly the type of pub to forget about the world.
"You can sit out the back in a small little area enjoying the view, or tuck up and enjoy your pints inside."
Activities
During the day times, Arranmore has a lot to offer.
The clear waters of the surrounding ocean provide the perfect marine leisure destination for those who love to get outdoors and try activities like diving, sea angling, sailing, and kayaking.
Advertisement
Discover Arranmore said the freshwater lakes on the island are an anglers paradise offering brown and rainbow trout catches.
The island is also home to a wide variety of marine and bird life. Birdwatchers can often be found observing the many fulmars and shags along the steep cliffs.
Arranmore Island is a great place to get active with many coastal and inland walks. Multiple days could easily be spent roaming around the island and taking in its natural beauty.
Photo: Google Maps
Electric bikes can now be hired on the island, making this a bit easier if you get tired!
Advertisement
Steeped in history
While you're there, go and visit the lighthouse.
The first lighthouse on the island was completed in 1798 by Thomas Rogers on behalf of the Barrack Board.
According to Commissioners of Irish Lights, in 1810 the lighthouse came under the control of the Ballast Board and considerable improvements were made to the light during the period 1817-24.
ESB mains electricity became available on Arranmore in the late 1960s and a mains supply was completed to the lighthouse in 1970.
The attendant lives in the village of Leabgarrow, a distance of 5km from the lighthouse, and a remote monitoring system keeps him informed of conditions at the lighthouse.
Photo: Google Maps
There's more pieces of history scattered around the island, and many locals love to chat about it. If you have any questions, ask!
There are old churches and boat houses with tributes to those who once walked the island, particularly concerning sea tragedies, of which Arranmore is no stranger to.
Arranmore has a deep connection to its history and pays homage to it. It is respected and shown at every turn on the island.
This is a visit everyone must make at least once in their lives. Arranmore allows you to breathe out and clear your mind, to leave the busy and loud world behind and embrace peace and beauty.
Give it a chance, and you won't regret it!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
15 minutes ago
- The Independent
Storm Floris: 90mph winds trigger air, rail and sea chaos
Disruption from Storm Floris will continue into Tuesday, passengers have been warned after wind gusts of up to 82 mph brought down trees and power lines across Scotland and Ireland, triggering transport chaos for trains, flights and ferries. More than 22,500 homes were without power, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks said, with 10,000 more affected in Ireland – mostly in Co Donegal and Co Roscommon. Festivals in Edinburgh were also been disrupted, with the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo among the events cancelled, while the delivery of exam results to some island communities was delayed according to the Scottish Qualifications Authority. The Met Office confirmed wind gusts of up to 79mph as far apart as Kinloss, east of Inverness, and the island of South Uist in the Outer Hebrides, with 82mph recorded at Wick in Caithness. Transport was paralysed across much of northern Britain. Network Rail closed all rail lines north of the Central Belt from midday, while a number of roads have been blocked. Disruption will continue into Tuesday. Ross Moran, Network Rail Scotland route director, said: 'Storm Floris has caused significant disruption to Scotland's railway, with wind speeds of up to 90mph, unprecedented for a summer storm. 'Our teams will work through the night, but this work will continue into Tuesday morning. We'll use two helicopters to assist engineers on the ground. We're grateful to passengers for their patience whilst we do this.' Earlier, the train operator had appealed to property owners to secure 'tents, trampolines or furniture' to prevent them being blown on to railway tracks. Anglo-Scottish rail travel was nigh-impossible on the East Coast and West Coast main lines. LNER and Lumo warned passengers not to attempt to travel north of Newcastle, while Avanti West Coast advised travellers not to venture north of Preston. The Caledonian Sleeper serving Aberdeen, Inverness and Fort William is cancelled overnight on Monday. Train operators will accept passengers' tickets dated Monday on Tuesday, and in some cases Wednesday. Travellers were able to reach or leave Scotland by air for some of the day, but high winds at the northern airports of Aberdeen and Inverness caused two flights to turn back to their starting points. Both easyJet from Luton to Inverness and KLM from Amsterdam to Aberdeen abandoned their landings and flew back, with passengers enduring 900-mile 'flights to nowhere'. By 6pm the aviation data analyst, Cirium, had calculated more than 150 flights were cancelled: 79 departures and 74 arrivals. Most served northern Scotland and Northern Ireland. Aberdeen was worst affected with 29 cancellations, while Belfast City experienced 21 grounded flights. A number of campervans have been blown over on the A87 road, which leads to Portree on the Isle of Skye. Police Scotland said: "We have received multiple reports of campervans being blown over on the A87 between Broadford and Portree due to high winds caused by Storm Floris. "We are advising motorists not to travel on the Bealach na Ba road and anyone with campervans should remain parked in sheltered areas until the wind speed reduces." Elsewhere, some roads in Scotland and northern England were blocked by fallen trees. The vast majority of ferries serving western Scotland were cancelled. Caledonian MacBrayne warned people planning to sail on Tuesday: 'Due to forecast adverse weather, sailings will be liable to disruption or cancellation at short notice. Northlink, which serves Orkney and Shetland from mainland Scotland, warns of the possibility of disruption 'through to Wednesday 6 August'. Storm Floris is the sixth named storm of the 2024-25 naming season, which runs from early September to late August. January's Storm Eowyn was the most recent.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
More than 2,000 homes still without power as Storm Floris hits Ireland
Around 2,700 homes in Ireland are still without power after Storm Floris brought strong winds to the island. Weather alerts remain in place on both sides of the border. In Northern Ireland several flights have been cancelled and some public facilities closed and hundreds of homes are without power. A couple in Belfast were removed from their house in the Ashgrove Park area after a tree fell on the property. Yellow weather warnings are in place in Northern Ireland and across several counties south of the border, although the island escaped the worst of the storm. Wind speeds of 59mph were recorded in Eglinton and Magilligan in Co Londonderry, while Ballypatrick in Co Antrim recorded 56mph on Monday. Dublin Airport said flight operations were continuing as normal but Emerald Airlines had cancelled six flights on Monday. Passengers at airports in Northern Ireland have been advised to contact their airline directly for updates on the status of their flight. More than 10,000 homes in Ireland were without power earlier on Monday, with Co Donegal and Co Roscommon among the worst-affected areas. Providing an update, ESB Networks said: 'ESB Networks can confirm that as of 5pm, approximately 2,700 homes, farms and businesses across the country are without power. 'Crews will continue to work late into this evening with a view to restoring supply to the vast majority of impacted customers by tonight. 'Real-time information on power outages and restoration times is available on The statement added: 'We apologise to all homes, farms and businesses impacted for the inconvenience caused.' A number of councils in Northern Ireland have closed outdoor spaces including parks and recycling centres. The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs has also advised the public not to visit affected forests and parks on Monday and Tuesday until the high winds have passed. The Kempes Stone Road in Dundonald, which was closed at the Greengraves Road due to a fallen tree, has now fully reopened.
The Independent
5 hours ago
- The Independent
The ‘eye-opening' lesson Ben Earl learned on first Lions tour
The British and Irish Lions may just have suffered a third Test defeat, but the broad smile on a beaming Ben Earl 's face could virtually span the Sydney Harbour. Of course, a series had been secured, reason enough for celebration, but the effusive Englishman is speaking about something greater. 'It's been a life-changing experience,' he begins. 'It showed me something completely different in terms of the rugby side of things. I've loved it. Honestly, it has been completely transformative for me and I'm a far better player because of it.' So far, so normal – it is tough to find a Lions player who hasn't come back from this trip having had the experience of their lives. That is in part due to a group that, even among Lions squads, has developed a special bond; plans are already afoot for a reunion in 12 years. But for Earl, as dedicated and ambitious an individual as they come, this trip has allowed him to reconnect with primitive rugby days and learn to approach the game in a distinctly different way. 'Just get out of your own way,' Earl says when asked for his biggest learning. 'You can overthink this sport so much, but when you've got a game on Saturday, then you've got to play again on Tuesday or Wednesday, you're not going to be able to do every rep, review everything opposition. Get out of your own way and just play rugby. 'It's almost like you get to the pinnacle of our sport, this is what it is, and you're back playing under-12s on a Sunday morning. That's honestly how it feels, there's no preparation, you just go out, you have a plan, you try to implement it, you express yourself in a way that Andy and the rest of the coaching staff have allowed us to do and I've loved every minute of it.' The evening of the third Test provided an experience that Earl believes displays the sort of spirit he hopes to carry back to Saracens and England. 'We got on our Lions bus and the door got jammed. We're trying to go 3-0 and we had to change buses, and you should have seen the group. I've been involved in groups where that would have thrown boys off, but we're just laughing, having craic. 'Two minutes max, but it was like, we're not on the team bus, so what does that mean? Get out of your own way. It's a game of rugby. Whatever bus you're on, it doesn't make a difference how you're going to play.' A few superstitious sorts may take exception to Earl's life lesson, but there is a marked difference in tone from a player who has flourished in several process-driven environments. Having arrived in Australia with no preconceptions about the tour nor his place in Andy Farrell 's pecking order, the 27-year-old is delighted to have featured twice off the bench in the Tests. The close friendships forged on tour will make next year tricky, he thinks. 'It'll be bizarre during the Six Nations to play against these fellas again because they're such knock-out blokes.' He speaks highly of Farrell senior – 'every time he talks to the group, I'm like, 'I'll do anything for that man'' – and Farrell junior, with Owen set to be a club, and perhaps country, teammate again when he and Earl return to Saracens. 'Every time I take the pitch with Owen, I think 'we're going to win'. That's his best quality.' For Earl, a break beckons, with a 10-week mandatory stand-down period before a return to Prem Rugby likely to be filled with plenty of golf for a very low handicapper. A bit of cricket watching is on the cards, too – England opener Zak Crawley is a Tonbridge schoolboy chum and Earl enjoyed his mate's cavalier first-innings half-century at the Oval. The body will be glad of a break after an 11-month season of more than 30 games, but when the time comes to return, Earl believes he will be ready to rip in. 'I'm almost excited to get going again. I need my time off, but I'm almost excited to get back into certain environments to be like, 'well, actually have you thought about this'. 'There's stuff that I've spoken to fellow Englishmen about that, actually, there's some cool stuff that we can bring back to camp and that's sort of the whole point, isn't it? We can come back and say, 'actually, there are some bits that we've done here that actually work when we have time away or during campaigns'. 'I've probably got more trust in what I've done rather than second-guessing myself. Honestly, some of the best players in the world are in that changing room and some of them are the most relaxed people I've ever seen about preparation, training. It's eye-opening.'
