Travel Writing Scholarship Application

The waves crashed against the ferry as it chugged towards the tiny island off the coast of western Ireland. I rocked with the boat and tried to keep my lunch down. My head was swirling with blurred memories of the previous night and the fast friends I’d made over the last three months. Whooosh! Another wave hits the ferry window and I’m momentarily reminded of the uneasiness of my stomach, a combination of close quarters, a lack of sea legs and Irish cider.

This adventure to the Aran Islands began at the ferry dock in Galway, a friendly town on the coast of western Ireland. The town provides an ideal starting point as it has a hefty supply of bars and welcoming locals.

When my fellow travel companions and I disembarked, I was excited to hop on a bike, the most efficient way to explore the island, and check out the sights. The expansive fields and never-ending stonewalls stretched in every direction. Raincoat in tow, it felt like the landscape was untouched by time – few cars, single cottages, green fields, grey rock and a blue sky trying to peek through the clouds.

In an attempt to leave the pack behind, we furiously peddled though a small sea of other tourists to get ahead. My tired legs took the last few hundred meters on foot as we ascended a small gravel road and then a well-beaten trail. Endless cliffs awaited us.

The cliffs of Inishmore were epic in size and had the added element of ferocious wind gusts that kept me in suspense throughout the afternoon. Exercise caution on these cliffs. I had a sneaking suspicion that I was trespassing on this trek, however, the few other explorers speckled along the rocks reassured me that it was open to visitors. The remnants of past adventures, a loose trail and flattened grassy knolls, helped to guide the way and point out the good sittin’ spots.

This story of my summer was an active pursuit for the highest cliffs and the most willing travel companions. As I looked out across the Atlantic Ocean, I felt like I’d discovered something new and came to realize the value in these adventures – it’s the combination of fast friends and possibilities.

I have yet to disappoint a fellow traveller with a recommendation to visit Inishmore. The island quickly carries you to another time, exposes you to remarkable cliffs and lets you roam freely amongst endless stonewalls and forts. It’s a little out of the way for most, but it was most definitely worth an uneasy ferry ride to visit the true edge of the Atlantic.