Inisheer - Seen in Black and White

Inisheer, the smallest of the Aran Islands is something of a photographers dream. I recently spent some time on the island with a group of fellow photographers from Galway Camera Club. Even though the couple of hours we spent on Inisheer weren't nearly enough to fully explore the island, I'd like to share some of the pictures I brought back.

We took the boat from Doolin in County Clare. There are several tour operators in Doolin that offer trips to the Aran Islands.

I decided that I would try and photograph the island in black and white, so I tried to compose my shots in a way that would make them especially suitable for a b/w conversion. The most dominating landscape feature on Inisheer are the dry stone walls. I'm used to seeing dry stone walls everywhere in the west of Ireland, but I have never seen a place so dominated by walls like in Inisheer. The walls basically carve up the island in tiny pieces of land, often just big enough for a handful of animals.

The first thing you see when you arrive on Inisheer. Walls and a castle that seems to dominate the island.

Another landmark on Inisheer is the wreck of MV Plassey. There are a good few ship wrecks along the irish coast line, but none as big as this one.

A very photogenic wreck....

The Plassey sank in March 1960

All of the crew were rescued from the sinking ship

The wreck features in the opening credits of the television series, Father Ted.

Another landmark on Inisheer is the lighthouse on the western tip of the island. The lighthouse itself is not open to the public.

Under a stormy sky

I managed to get lost on my way back from the light house. How do you get lost on a small Island? It's the dry stone walls. The whole place is one big maze! Even the cows seem to get lost here...

The lost cows of Inisheer

This is the road to nowhere...

walls, walls, walls....

Last stop, the little graveyard on top of a hill, near the main village.

The sky above..

We only had about 4 hrs on Inisheer. Not nearly enough to really get to know the place. So I decided I'll go back there as soon as I get a chance and photograph the rest of this magical place.

Time to head back to the mainland for now.

Not the official ferry

That's it for today. Thanks for reading! Leave a comment or even better share this post if you liked it.