BRAVING THE SEA

Inis Mór is the largest of the three Aran Islands that lie off the west coast at the mouth of Galway Bay. People have lived here at least since 2500 BC, however, the archeological evidence of farming communities of the close-by Clare and Connemara regions suggests that it might have have been as early as 4000 BC. Hunter-gatherer groups visited the islands even before that. The islands are made up mainly of karst limestone.

Islanders have lived off of fishing and farming for centuries, with the local flora and fauna being adapted to the grazing of cattle and sheep. In recent years, a shift of economy towards tourism has occurred, thus leaving more and more fields to become overgrown. Young people seldom take up farming full time, as the distrubution and the sizes of fields do not allow for larger herds. People nowadays usually own a few cows and a bull, whereas sheep have mostly disappeared from the island.

 

The AranLIFE project targets the decline of diverse grasslands that require grazing by targeting the issue of land abandonment through easier access to the fields. Farmers are encouraged to maintain the stone walls, install raincatchers and clear the land and lanes from bramble and other shrubs.

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