The Érainn
were the second of the Celtic groups to come to Ireland.
When the first inhabitants of the Arans, probably coastal fishers from the Connemara region, arrived on Inis Mór, they found it divided into two distinct regions, much as it is today. The highest parts of the island faced the Atlantic, sheltering the fertile lowlands from the violent storms that lash the western coast of Ireland. From their safe harbours facing the Connemara coast, the islanders could send out boats to catch the abundant fish of Galway Bay or the Atlantic, and they could build houses and farms on the sheltered lowlands. Irish (Gaelic) is still the first language for many of the inhabitants. The territory of Conmhaicne Mara / Connemara covers all of the barony of Ballynahinch and the civil parish of Inishbofin, which is in the barony of Murrisk. |
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