EIIM Inishmore

Last Sunday I did a trip to Inishmore (EIIM) an island off the west coast of Ireland. This was a trip that I’d be looking forward to for a VERY long time. As I’d mentioned before on this forum, due to ill health in my family, I had to take a step back from flying for about 2 years. When I was finally ready to return, our aircraft was stuck away for a further 4 months. It had gone to the UK for a new paint job and avionics upgrade and got stuck there due to various COVID related problems. By the time it came back, its annual was due!

Once it came back from the annual, it took me another month to get everything lined up to do the proficiency check to get my class rating back. The day after I got it back, the country went back into lockdown and our movements were restricted!

So before last Sunday, I’d only landed away from base on two occasions in the previous 3 years. One for a refresher flight to get myself back up to speed before taking the proficiency check, and one to go and take the proficiency check.

Apart from 2 weeks in December (one of which the aircraft was getting avionics work finalised and the other didn’t suit for flying) our movements have been restricted. That restriction was finally lifted last week. So this was to be the first ‘trip’ away from base for my own fun, in three years.

The weather didn’t look great on Sunday morning. 600 SCT and 800 BKN all around. The TAFS didn’t offer much hope either. But looking at the UK MO MSLP forecast I felt it was going to improve a bit. Maybe, just maybe enough to find a way through. I was so looking forward to the trip, and I was wasn’t going to cancel it too soon! So I went to the airport anyway. After a short wait there thing did improve, in fact it improved significantly. Good to go!

It didn’t start well! When I did my first call to FIS (to open my flight plan) I forgot to change which radio I was using and ended up doing my call on 121.5! Opps! But thankfully that was the only thing to go wrong on the day.

The weather consisted of lots of isolated CBs dumping their contents. Pretty typical Irish weather!

A happy pilot, desperately in need of a haircut! (Barbers only opened last Monday too!)

Typical Irish countryside. Lakes, and green fields divided up into irregular shapes with trees marking the boundaries.

Kilmacduagh monastery – an early 7th century monastery.
According to Wikipedia “It was reportedly founded by Saint Colman, son of Duagh in the 7th century, on land given him by his cousin King Guaire Aidne mac Colmáin of Connacht.”
Kilmacduag

On the west coast, close to where the Arran Islands are, is an area dominated by limestone, much of it exposed.

The islands coming into view

Leaving the mainland coastline

The MV Plassy. A shipwreck on Inisheer which featured in the opening titles to the comedy TV series Fr Ted. It was shipwrecked in a storm in 1960.
MV Plassy

Dun Conor is a stone fort on Inishman believed to date back to the first or second millennium BC.
The Arran island have a quite a number of these stone forts. All are open to the public to take a look, free of any charge.
Dun Conor

A view from Inishmore (which translates to Big Island).

A lovely little beach. A real pity the water isn’t warmer here! None the less there was one brave sole who was using the opportunity to take a swim.

This was the first good excuse I had to take advantage of my new electric scooter. So I used it to see more of the island than I’d ever seen before. The Aran islands are to Irish pilots, a bit like what Le Touquet is to British pilots – A great go-to lunch destination when you’ve no where particular to go to. So I’ve been quite a few times before. But I’d only ever explored the eastern half of the island. The airport is on the very eastern end, and the principal village is only slightly west of the airport. So this time I used my escooter to travel right over to the western end of the island.

Here is a view from the western end. You’ll see there are two much smaller islands just off the west coast. The first is uninhabited. The second one just has a lighthouse and small house for the lighthouse keeper. It is automated now, and I don’t think anyone lives there anymore, but not 100% sure on that.
Note the stone walls. They are built by laying stone upon stone. There is no mortar holding them together. Just the stone themselves. They are all over the place on these islands. (They can also be found in many other places on Ireland’s west coast).

That same beach from a different angle

Inishmore airport

Dun Eochl – another stone fort, this time on Inishmore. It’s believed to be build between 500-800AD and repaired in the late 19th century.
Dun Eochl

Dun Eoghanachta – another stone fort on Inishmore. The date of building isn’t known, but estimated to be from the Iron Age. It was partially restored in the 19th century.
Dun Eoghanachta

Eeragh Lighthouse on Rock Island mentioned earlier.
Eeragh Lighthouse

Looking back on Inishmore from west to east. Note the large cliffs on the southern (right) side. We’re about to see them closer up!

Dun Aonghasa This stone hill fort is probably the best known and definitely the most visited fort on the islands. It’s estimated to date from 1100BC. Half of it has fallen into the sea now.
Dun Aonghasa

Poll na bPeist (The worm hole) is a naturally rectangular, natural sea swimming pool. It’s used in the annual Red Bull cliff diving event.

Dun Duchathair – Yet another stone fort on Inishmore!
Dun Duchathair

A view of the coast of Inishman

Dun Conor on Inishman from a different angle

Inisheer lighthouse

MV Plassy again

Galway bay

Another small CB dropping its contents.

And some more. Like I said….typical Irish weather. Lovely sunshine in one place and getting soaked just a short distance away!

Kinnitty Castle – a 19th century castle, now a luxury hotel
Kinnitty Castle

This was the track flown

And that’s it. A great day out with my class rating back and the freedom to roam around my own country back. Hopefully the first of many more this year!