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Connacht Tribune

New book examines history of lifestyle of Aran Islanders

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The Aran Islands – At the Edge of the World is a new book that looks at the history, heritage and rare beauty of these ‘stepping stones at the edge of Europe’ exposed to the full force of the Atlantic Ocean. In this extract, editor Paul O’Sullivan looks at the rudimentary houses the islanders built, carved from the island’s stone.

Because they were islanders, the people of Aran lived a unique, largely self-contained lifestyle, and were almost self-sufficient in terms of food, supplies, culture and entertainment.

This way of life lasted well into the twentieth century, and elements still survive today. The census of 1901 gave the population of the islands as 2,845; it would steadily decline over the next century, falling under 2,000 by the 1940s and under 1,500 by the 1970s. The most recent figures give the year-round population as about 1,250.

All human life on the Aran Islands. Courtesy of The National Museum of Ireland

All human life on the Aran Islands. Courtesy of The National Museum of Ireland

It was to be a century of change for the Aran Islands, and of rediscovery too, thanks to a renewed interest in Gaelic culture and history.

Until recent times, Aran still relied on the ways of old and was very much a traditional Irish rural settlement. Life was difficult and demanding for the islanders – they worked long, hard hours trying to eke out a living from inhospitable soil.

The farm cluster, or clachan, was once the main type of settlement on the Aran Islands. Referred to locally as a ‘village’, the clachán comprised a group of farmers’ dwelling houses and outbuildings built close together.

It contrasted strongly with the dispersed form of settlement found on the mainland, where each dwelling house stood at the centre of its own farm, often a mile or more from its nearest neighbour.

A typical clachán, on the other hand, contained two to fifteen houses irregularly grouped together.

A typical Aran Cluster of the late 19th century courtesy of The National Museum of Ireland

A typical Aran Cluster of the late 19th century courtesy of The National Museum of Ireland

Almost all of the Aran clusters are located to the north, or leeside, of the slopes, as protection from prevailing winds was essential.

The exception, Gort na gCapall (‘the Field of the Horses’), is situated in the low neck of land between the two ridges of Inishmore, where it is exposed to the elements.

In the post-Famine period, many of the clusters shrank; some, like Ballindun on Inishmaan, were reduced to just two occupied houses.

But with the passage of time, many clusters have again been ‘stretched’ as new houses are built along the road. Inishmaan, viewed from the sea, presents a continuous line of houses rather than distinct villages.

The number of villages on Inishmore varies from ten to fourteen, depending on whether one regards the smaller clusters as being independent of, or merged with, the larger ones.

Killeany and Kilronan, both on Inishmore, are larger than the other Aran settlements and have a wider range of functions than the traditional clacháns. Killeany grew up around the fourteenth-century Franciscan friary and Arkyne’s Castle (Caisleán Aircín). Its sheltered harbour, protected by the castle, made it the ‘capital’ of the islands for centuries.

Old abandoned stone house on Aran. Photo: Shutterstock

Old abandoned stone house on Aran. Photo: Shutterstock

Kilronan resulted from the merging of two farm clusters along the main road early in the nineteenth century. After the Famine, a newly built pier made it more important than Killeany. A courthouse, a police barracks and a coastguard station were built there, giving it a completely different character from the other Inishmore clusters.

The traditional nineteenth-century clachán was a long, low, single-storey cottage with a thatched roof.

Though the size of these houses varied from one to three rooms, they all shared the same basic design. They were rectangular structures with thick stone walls built in the dry-stone technique.

Windows and doors were set in the long side of the house rather than in the gables. The roof was steeply pitched and its weight borne by the walls.

All had an open hearth at floor level, with a chimney protruding through the roof ridge. The walls were usually painted with whitewash, which was reapplied every year. The roof was thatched with rye straw secured by ropes and pegs.

When a young man married, he would often leave the family home and build his own house with the help of friends and neighbours. The site for the house was carefully chosen, taking account of slope, shelter and distance from other dwellings.

Aran island women traditionally wore a calf length, hand woven skirt and knitted sweater, and donned a headscarf or brightly coloured shawl when going outdoors.

Aran island women traditionally wore a calf length, hand woven skirt and knitted sweater, and donned a headscarf or brightly coloured shawl when going outdoors.

The work of building the house was carried on in a cheerful atmosphere, and when it was completed, the owner invited his helpers and neighbours to a house-warming céilí, an occasion for great celebration.

When the building was finished and the roof rafters had been positioned, the thatcher was called in. The thatcher was a respected craftsman who was much in demand in spring, summer and autumn.

To keep the roof fully waterproofed, the thatch had to be repaired every year and the whole thatch completely renewed after seven or eight years.

The houses of Aran were small, and some structures basically consisted of a single room.

So space was precious and the furniture strictly functional – chairs, a table, a dresser, beds, a wooden chest for storage and a long bench-seat which stood against the back wall.

There were other house types to be found on the islands, such as the two-storey, slate-roofed houses that can be seen in Kilronan and some of the other larger settlements. The traditional house, however, was well adapted to climatic conditions and had the added advantage of using locally sourced materials. Windows were small and set deeply in the walls.

Some cottages had no windows at all, as rent was often calculated on the basis of the size and number of windows. In any case the combination of thick stone walls, thatched roof, and small windows with even smaller panes of glass kept the house warm in winter and pleasantly cool in summer.

Doors were set in the front and back of the house, opposite each other. One or other almost always remained open by day as a means of ventilating the house and a sign of welcome to callers.

The direction of the wind decided which door was opened; the open door was called the ‘sheltered’ door, while the closed door was called the ‘wind’ door.

There are many traditional beliefs regarding the back door, some of which are still respected. For example, it is considered unlucky for a stranger to leave the house by the back door, and when a death has occurred in the house, it is customary to carry the coffin out through the back door.

Another type of door, found both on Aran and the mainland, was the half-door. It is divided in two horizontally, allowing the lower half to remain shut while the top half can be opened for light and air.

The half-door arrangement was useful for keeping young children indoors as well as preventing farm animals and hens from entering the house.

And it also provided a comfortable armrest for the woman or man of the house when they leaned out to chat with neighbours.

The Aran Islands – At the Edge of the World, was researched and edited by Paul O’Sullivan under the auspices of the City of Dublin VEC Curriculum Development Unit; it is published by O’Brien Press, and is on sale from all good bookshops and online at www.obrien.ie priced €9.99.

Connacht Tribune

West has lower cancer survival rates than rest

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Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.

A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.

For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.

These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.

“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.

In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.

Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.

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Connacht Tribune

Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents

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Galway's Aaron Niland is chased by Cillian O'Callaghan of Cork during Saturday's All-Ireland Minor Hurling semi-final at Semple Stadium. Photo: Stephen Marken/Sportsfile.

Galway 3-18

Cork 1-10

NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.

The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.

Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.

Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.

Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.

Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety

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Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche

GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.

Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.

Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.

“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.

“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.

He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.

“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.

“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.

He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.

The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.

“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App

Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.

Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.

Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite  HERE.

Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.

 

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