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downhill and that meant I’d
have to go uphill. I took the side
roads, which lead me through a
large area of kurst limestone. I
saw some people on bikes going
the other direction so I knew it
had to eventually run into the
main road. My plan now was to
just go back to the town and buy
a sweater (and maybe some ice
cream because, darn it, I deserved
it!), but first I had to find my way
back.
The road I was on wasn’t much
of a road. I had to walk my bike
because it was either uphill, too
steep to ride down, or too rocky
to ride. I kept thinking if I hit a
rock, I’d go flying and die on the
Aran Islands, all alone. Thus, I
took a lot of breaks and ate my
lunch that I didn’t get to enjoy at
the ring fort. I made friends with
some cows and saw four goats,
which scared me because one
moment I was trying not to trip
or let go of the bike and the next,
goats were walking literally no
more than 10 feet away from me.
I saw the older gentleman I met
earlier. The goats had gotten into
someplace they shouldn’t since
there was no food or water there
and he let them out so they could
go home, or wherever goats go.
The man helped me get back to
the town — Kilronan — and the
pier. We walked and talked about
Ireland, how on a clear day one
can see the Cliff of Moher, how
many of the other bikers turned
around when the rain began,
and how I didn’t make it to the
fortress.
He told me things had changed
so much, like how there weren’t
houses at a specific place or
things weren’t as modernized
as recent as 20 years ago. He
talked about how the Irish don’t
immigrate to America as much,
but rather to France, Germany,
Spain, etc. But, as we know, a
lot of Irish did immigrate to the
United States since a lot of people
have Irish ancestry. It was nice.
He told me where it was safe to
ride between potholes and where
it was smarter to walk. We made
it back to Kilronan, and I offered
to buy him a drink, which is
what one does to say “thanks” or
“
good job” etc. in Ireland, but he
said he was trying to keep out of
the pubs since he was a frequent
customer in his younger days.
We parted ways and I went to
the Aran Island Sweater Mar-
ket and Museum to look for a
sweater. There were so many
colors and styles. However, I did
find an army green sweater that
zips with a hood, which cheered
me greatly. I also got a scarf,
although I admit I didn’t need
it, but I wanted it after the day
I had. After that, I went back to
the store to buy some ice cream
and met two guys who came over
on the same ferry. They were
Americans, too. I kept running
into people from America while
in Ireland; surprisingly enough,
some from the Midwest. Perhaps
it was because of my college,
Augustana College in the Quad
Cities, or because of Caterpillar’s
headquarters in Peoria.
One of the most frustrating
things for me while in Ireland
was the fact nobody seemed to
have clocks. Because of that I had
to rush to return my bike and hel-
met and get on the ferry before it
left at 4:45.
I made it, but I think I was wor-
rying my teachers. Thankfully,
the ferry ride back was much
smoother.
Student Story
