St. Cavan on Inis Oirr
22 September 2018
We continued on our way past the pub, around the corner, up the hill, and then finally found the yellow water pump that marked our turn. From there, we found our B&B easily and were greeted by the owner. The house sits out on the end of the road near the edge of the island, and the view from the bedroom window was incredible! The flat green land dropped into deep blue ocean, and off in the distance you could see both the Irish mainland and Inis Meáin, the ‘middle island’ of Aran.
As a side note, the islands run in size order from north to south, and are named by their sizes – Inis Mór, Inis Meáin, and Inis Oirr – literally Big Island, Middle Island, and Little Island. These are the things OCD dreams are made of!
We wandered out over the hills of the island, down the alleys through the maze of stone walls, and out along the coast. The air had that beautiful island salt feel to it, and we wished it was warm enough to jump in the sea!
We came on the ruins of the Church of Saint Cevan, a 10th century church dedicated to the patron saint of the Aran Islands, which also holds as his burial site. Actually, the harsh winds and eroding sand had at one point buried the entire church itself, but it has since been excavated though it still sits below the surface. The land surrounding the church is used as a cemetery. It’s a bit strange to think how the church itself is buried deeper than the graves. Off to the corner of the church is a small stone structure that holds the burial site of St. Cavan himself.
We circled around the grassy area and went down into the church ruins. Some of the stone structure still stands and gives a basic shape of what it once looked like, particularly the beautiful stone archways. The peaks of the church that once supported the roof are the only parts that would above the current ground level had it not been excavated. We followed the path down, ducked through the low doorway, and stepped into the old church. It’s amazing to think how long ago this was built, and how much different the island and the world were at the time. I will never grow tired of walking through the ruins of history like this!
It was also really interesting to go down to what is basically the underground to enter the ruins. It felt like another world down there, from being below the surface of the ground yet with the open sky above, to the salty island air that surrounded us, to the graves above our heads and the ancient stones themselves. It was truly an amazing place!
Beyond St. Cavan’s the road continued along the coast, growing more narrow, winding, and rural as we went along. The landscape was absolutely beautiful in its sheer ruggedness, and the patchwork of stone walls stretched out in every direction. It is amazing how many of those walls are on such a tiny island. We passed along An Loch Mór, the largest lake on the island, as the road curved sharp and narrow on the many twists and turns through the walls. Some of the stone walls sat right up against the roadside which was barely wide enough for even the tiny European cars to get through. One came by and we practically had to sit on the wall to give them enough room! Some of the walls had grazing cattle, and one even had a very friendly little pony. We hung out for a bit and made a new Irish friend!
