Inis Oírr travel guide

A Day on Inis Oirr: A Guide

We spent the day on the Aran Island of Inis Oirr (pronounced Inisheer). It was a cloudy and rainy day, but we were still so glad we made it out to see this unique island.

Inis Oirr is the smallest of the three Aran Islands in size, but has about 300 people living on it full-time.

a view of Inis Oirr

It has a small main village, surrounded by turquoise waters, and rolling green hills dotted with traditional white Irish stone cottages – and a few really cool things to see and do!

Here’s all you need to know about making a visit Inis Oirr.

First- Is Inis Oirr Worth Visiting?

Inis Oirr is definitely worth a visit. It’s a small island, and you likely don’t need more than a day on it.

On Inis Oirr, there are:

  • A handful of really interesting things to see
  • A few different places to eat
  • One or two shops where you can get unique Irish souvenirs
  • One hotel
  • Services for locals, such as a school and a hospital

We were in Inis Oirr on a rainy day, but were still able to see all the highlights of the island.

How to Get to Inis Oirr

There are three ways to get to Inis Oirr:

  • Take a 15-minute ferry from the town of Doolin
  • Take a 1-2 hour ferry ride from Rossaveel or Galway City
  • Fly from Inveran, a small town 30 km from Galway city (yes, there is a tiny airport on Inis Oirr)
  • Book a tour that includes everything: return ferry ticket from Doolin, transportation on the island, lunch, and a tour guide to show you around. Cost is €130
Ferry from Galway to Inis Oírr

Choosing HOW to Explore Inis Oirr

There are a number of things to see and check out on Inis Oirr.

The first thing you’ll need to decide (and possibly will want to book in advance) is how you’re going to get around the island seeing everything!

Your options for getting around Inis Oírr are:

  • Walking – very possible with a decent level of fitness, but it would be quite a bit of walking to see all of the main attractions, plus some uphill walking.
  • Taking a horse-drawn carriage – We saw many people doing this, and it looks fun. About 6 people fit in a carriage at once
  • Taking a Wanderly Wagon tour (small bus) – This is what we did, they show you all the highlights in about an hour, as well as tell stories and a bit of the history. We recommend them. Book here.
  • Renting a bike – Inis Oirr is very bike-friendly. It would be quite a bit of uphill biking to see the castle and a few other sites, but we saw many people biking. We rented a bike for the sake of biking, after our Wanderly Wagon tour.
My husband's photo from biking on Inis Oirr
My husband’s photo from biking on Inis Oírr

Things to Do on Inis Oirr

1. See the sunken church

The # 1 thing to see on Inis Oírr is the sunken church, because of how unique (and old) it is.

This church is called Teampall Caomhán in Irish, and it dates back to the 900s! (over 1,000 years ago.)

Its wild to see something this old, and it’s one of the oldest buildings I’ve seen in Ireland. Even the churches in Dublin are 200 years older than this church.

You can step down into the sunken church, and explore it from the inside out. Just be careful and respectful with these old ruins.

2. Check out the Plassey Shipwreck

The Plassey Shipwreck is a rusty old shipwreck. The ship has been sitting there since the 1960s.

Plassey Shipwreck is a quick stop on any of the island tours, or you can walk to it from the main town.

Pro Tip: From where you’re standing at the Plassey Shipwreck, you can see Cliffs of Moher from a distance.

3. Visit the abandoned castle

O’Brien’s Castle is one of the coolest abandoned castles in Ireland. It dates back to the 1400s, and was built by the O’Brien Clan, one of the most powerful families in Ireland.

You can go inside O’Brien’s Castle and look around from the inside. There is no upstairs (anymore), only one level. (Just keep in mind that you enter ruined castles at your own risk.)

The castle is one of the highest points on the island, so you have pretty good views of the whole island from up here.

4. Go see the old signal tower

One thing that most visitors miss is the Old Signal Tower. The Old Signal Tower (An Túr Faire) is just a short walk from the castle.

It was built in the early 1800s to protect Inis Oirr from an invasion from France.

Signal tower on Inis Oirr
Signal tower on Inis Oirr

You can’t go inside the signal tower. It’s gated, and there were no information plaques or signs. We had to Google Lens this gem in order to see what it was.

This page can tell you more about the signal tower if you’re interested, and you can get about as close as from the angle we took above to see it.

5. See the oldest historical site on the island

Cnoc Raithni is the oldest site you can find on Inisheer. It’s an ancient burial site that proves that the island has been inhabited for over 3,000 years.

They didn’t even know it was here until a severe storm blew the sand that kept it burned until the late 1800s.

 the oldest site (that we know of) on Inis Oírr!
This is the oldest site (that we know of) on Inis Oírr!

There isn’t a lot you can do other than see it, but if you’re fascinated by history and neolithic ruins like we are, then it’s worth a look. You can read in-depth about it here.

6. Check out the lighthouse

The lighthouse dates to the 1800s and is still an active lighthouse!

You can’t go inside, but there is a pathway that allows you to walk around it and get photos of it.

The lighthouse on Inis Oirr
Photo Credit: ID 112022014 | Inis Oirr © | Dreamstime.com

The lighthouse on Inisheer is a bit further and out of the way. It would be a 45 minute walk from the main village, or a 15-minute bike ride.

It wasn’t included in the Wanderly Wagon boat tour we took, but we saw it from the boat as we were approaching Inis Oirr.

7. Rent a bike

Regardless of how you decide to get around to see all of these suggestions, you can still rent a bike afterwards just for some leisurely biking.

That’s what my husband and daughter did. They grabbed bikes and went on a ride. They encountered hardly any people on their ride.

These roads aren’t specifically bike roads -they’re for cars, wagons and pedestrians too. But they didn’t see any other people, as this is the less-visited part of the island.

They have hybrids, electric, mountain, helmets, bike seats, and even trailers to pull young kids.

They tend to rent them by the day, but they may give you an hourly rate if you ask. In our case, he gave us a 1/2 hour rate as it was close to the end of our day, but we got the impression that this doesn’t normally happen

8. Eat at a cozy pub

For such a small island of only 300 people, Inis Oirr has some decent places to eat at. There are two pubs on the island that are well rated and have great food:

  • Tigh Ned – this is where we ate. Great food and kind staff. It felt so cozy and rustic inside, perfect place to duck in from the rain.
  • Flaherty’s, at the hotel – also has great reviews and delicious looking comfort food

Other food options on Inis Oírr

  • Café Una – we tried to eat here, as I heard they have great vegetarian options. Unfortunately, they had an event on the day we were there and couldn’t seat us. But it looks like a friendly little cafe with yummy homecooked food.

9. Visit the beach

Inis Oirr’s beach is called Trá Inis Oírr in Irish, and it’s actually known as being one of the best beaches in Ireland!

If it weren’t for the rainy day we were having, it would have felt like being in the Caribbean.

The sand is soft and white, and the water is a turquoise blue. On a nice day in summer, you can swim.

10. Play at the playground

If you’re in Ireland with kids, you’ll be happy to know that there’s a decent-sized playground.

There was no one playing at it when we were there, possibly because it was a school day. It’s just a short walk from the main town.

The coolest thing is that you have a view of the abandoned O’Brian’s Castle from below.

Want to Stay Overnight on Inis Oirr?

Inis Oirr has one hotel, so if you’re interested in spending the night to take your time to see everything, then book it here.

inis oir

Inis Oirr FAQ

Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about visiting Inis Oirr

How much time do you need on Inis Oirr?

You need at least a day on Inis Oirr. Many people do it in anywhere between a half day and a full day; some even stay overnight.

On the day we went to Inis Oirr, it was a rainy day and a bit chilly. There were several people who, even though they booked the 4:45 ferry back to Inis Oirr – tried to leave on the earlier ferry at 1:45.

In hindsight, I wish I’d booked the 1:45 ferry, but honestly, it was only because of the cold, rainy weather and that we had two kids (a toddler and a pre-teen with us), so we were pretty tired.

Otherwise, I could easily spend a day on Inis Oirr. It’s a great place that I recommend taking your time in.

Final Thoughts on Inis Oirr

Inis Oirr was a beautiful little island, with such an otherworldly atmosphere and such friendly people. I would definitely recommend visiting.

The first time I came to Ireland, I didn’t see any of the Aran Islands, and I’m so glad I saw one of them this time. They are well worth a spot on your Ireland itinerary.