Aran Islands and Irish Music

Wow! Today was a whirlwind of so much exciting and adventurous sights and sounds!

First I started my day off with some wonderful hostel breakfast and then we traveled to the ferry where we would go to the Aran Islands. The Aran Islands consist of 3 islands that are the only places that have Gaelic as their first primary language and English as the secondary language. To listen to them speak was so amazing. The fluidity and intonation was just so beautiful! While traveling through the biggest island, Inis Mor, we traveled towards the top cliffs. This was terrifying for me because of how short I am and how I do not do hikes very well. However, I overcame my fear and actually made it to the top of the cliffs where I was able to take some awesome pictures and just see the water from above. Although I did complete this feat the rain and the wind were not helpful and neither was the fog when trying to look out into the horizon. After successfully making it back down to the bottom we stopped for lunch at a local pub. I ordered a chicken sandwhich with some chips and an awesome brownie. Then we went back onto the ferry and back to our hostel.

The best part of the night I believe was going to Trad on the Prom. I knew that Irish music was something they all considered very important to them but after this evening and listening and experiencing what it is truly like I have a larger appreciation for it all now. As I sat there listening to the first song I literally cried I was just so emotional over the whole experience. After listening to some more of the music I was just so fond of how good they were. The dancers too were phenomenal I was just so amazed at how they were together and how they could move their feet that fast! I loved it all. The Bodhran player was super good as was the fiddle player. I really just enjoyed the whole performance and I would love to see another set of traditional Irish music again!

Here is the link to Trad on the Prom and their website if you would like to learn more about them or hear some of their music!

http://www.tradontheprom.com/

Until next time!