Go back in time to the Aran Islands

You don’t need a time machine to go back in time. Just visit the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland, where people have no cars, one shop and very simple lives.

You won’t see many signs of modern life on this group of three islands in Co. Galway. Nobody lives on the two smaller islands, Inishmann and Inisheer. And only a few people live on the biggest island, Inishmore. They take care of the island’s animals, which include sheep and donkeys, and travel to the mainland whenever they need to. Teens from the island can go to school there until they’re 18 but then have to leave to study or find a job. Most of the island’s people speak Irish with each other, although they can speak English too.

It’s best to visit the islands in the summer, when the weather isn’t too bad. You can travel to them by ferry from the mainland and hire a bike on Inishmore. Then spend a few hours cycling through the island’s big green fields and visiting its many old forts and ruins. The most famous fort on the island is Dún Aengus. It is on the edge of a cliff 100 metres above the ocean. It’s fun to lie at the edge of it looking down at the waves. Inishmore is also home to the smallest church in the world, Teampull Bheanáin. And Inisheer has a castle built more than 400 years ago called O’Brien’s Castle.

There is only one shop on Inishmore but there are a few hotels and lots of good pubs. It’s great fun to go to one of the pubs in the evenings and eat something traditional like bacon and cabbage. If you’re lucky you might hear people speaking Irish and get a chance to listen to them play Irish music.

What's it really like to live on an isolated island – or in the wild countryside? It's an adventure and teens who live in these wild places tell us about it in Spot on in December!