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| Beehive Hut |
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| Afternoon bike tour |
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| Pilgrims at Dun Aonghasa |
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| Looking over the cliff (safely and carefully!) |
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| Pilgrims with Dun Aonghasa in the background |
Today we awoke in our bed-and-breakfasts on the main island (Inis Mor) of the Aran Islands and we went to the ruins of old forts, ceremonial sites and other ancient ruins that are thousands of years old. From one point on Inis Mor we had a beautiful view of the entire island. You could see the ocean on both sides and it looked amazing. It was a very mix-mash a day where it would pour rain one moment and then be super sunny the next.
"The islands symbolize the journey of our faith. We have a path, which is our life, and the guide, who is God or Jesus. The path can be dangerous but as long as we follow our guide, we will be safe. If we fall, we might not be able to get back up. Follow the light. Follow Jesus." - one pilgrim's reflection.
The islands have a lot of amazing scenery. Today at the old fort of Dún Aonghasa (anglicized name is Dun Aengus) we felt like the wind could blow you right off the cliff. Afterwards, we biked over to an old site of ancient graveyard called Na Seacht dTeampaill (the Seven Churches) where we learned about old Celtic traditions. Later, we encountered a small hail storm that lasted for about a minute during a bike ride to see a beehive hut (see above), which is a small stone building that could have been used to house monks living in solitude thousands of years ago.
At the end of the day, we got the unique chance to speak with some native teenagers from the island, and they were generous enough to sit on a panel while we asked them lots of questions (and they asked us some) about what our lives were like. We also learned a little about the Irish language, as well as the alphabet of Ogham, an ancient British and Irish language. Check out the links at the top of the main blog page for some links to our Irish and Ogham handouts.
- Jon, Teddy, Zach, and other pilgrims
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