Inis Mor

All of these pictures come from Inis Mor, the largest of the three Arainn Islands, which are just off the coast of Galway Bay. They were shot in the spring of 2002.

...All these pictures, except this one of course. It is Arts Festival week in Galway. In Eyre Square, the center of the downtown core, I found this mandala of stones and coloured shells, assembled by artists unknown. Not ten feet away, a christian fundamentalist missionary group was preaching to the crowd with a loud public-address system. It is not hard to see which-- the missionaries or the mandala artists-- are the more secure in their spirituality.
The coast of Inis Mor, and the great pouring sea.
This will give you a sense of the size of the island and also a sense of the distance that can be seen from its highest elevation. (photo enhanced)
I photographed this view of Galway Bay while sitting on the wall of a ruined church, called Teampaill Asuirnai. The ruin was unimpressive, but the view was very nice. The mountains across the bay are the Twelve Bens of Connemara. A peaceful spot. I stayed for an hour. (photo enhanced)
Inside Dun Duchathair, the Black Fort, one of the old celtic ring forts of the island.
The window above the old altar of Tempaill Chiarain, which is a much better example of an early christian church. Saint Chiarain studied here under Saint Enda for seven years, and then went to the mainland to build Clonmacnoise. Photographed especially for my brother Ciaran!
One of three interesting Celtic Cross slabs adjacent to Teampaill Chiarain.
These two cairns and adjacent house built "for the fairies" (as the scratchings on the stone read), are near the village of Mainistir, and were probably built by tourists within the last year. My friend Dan and I discovered them while strolling on the Burren. Note the ironstone pinnacle on the cairn to the left. Although you can't see it in this photo, the layout of the "fairy house" bore a certain resemblance to Scara Brae, Scotland, leading Dan (who has an archaeology degree) to suggest that the builders may have had archaeological knowledge.
And this one was built by me, next to the others. I fully endorse "Guerilla Paganism", in which the seeker makes his statement wordlessly, anonymously, and allows others to encounter the statement in their own way and believe whatever they want to believe.
Dun Oichla, another of the old stone forts, this one at the center and the highest point of land on Inis Mor.

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(c) 2002 by B. Cathbad Myers. All rights reserved.