6 May 1999 Edition
New in print: Legends in the Landscape
Legends in the Landscape, Aisling Arann.
By Dara O Maoildhia,
Available from Aisling Arann, Inis Mór, Co Galway, Ireland.
`Baile átha an rí a bhí; Gaillimh atá; agus Arainn a bheas.' (Athenry was; Galway is; and Aran will be.)
Dara O Maoildhia is a priest in the Celtic tradition. In 1985 ,he travelled from the east coast of Ireland to Inis Mór, the largest of the three Aran Islands, to make a home for himself and fellow Celtic travellers, on this Atlantic shore.
He was drawn to Arainn (the correct name for Inis Mór) by a sense of belonging to a place that has a magical heritage, for the same reasons it attracted monks from the Celtic church 1,500 years ago and has attracted travellers and tourists ever since.
When O Maoildhia moved to Arainn 14 years ago, tourists numbered around 10,000. The islands now attract a quarter of a million tourists and the numbers are increasing.
This book, however, was not written for the tourist. It has been written for ``the questor, the searcher, the pilgrim, the spiritually hungry and those on a journey''. It is O Maoildhia's ``fervent'' hope that this book will ``touch and nourish'' the soul.
Essentially though, this is a tourist guide to Arainn - albeit a guide that resonates with a spiritual quality much deeper than the words which describe the myths, legends, folklore and history of the island. O Maoildhia has added to Artainn's rich written heritage with a fine snapshot.
Legends in the Landscape may look like a 96-page pocket-sized booklet. It is more than that. It is a passport to a world we are leaving behind. If you go to Arainn this summer, make sure you have a copy for the journey across Galway Bay.
By Dara O Maoildhia,
Available from Aisling Arann, Inis Mór, Co Galway, Ireland.
`Baile átha an rí a bhí; Gaillimh atá; agus Arainn a bheas.' (Athenry was; Galway is; and Aran will be.)
Dara O Maoildhia is a priest in the Celtic tradition. In 1985 ,he travelled from the east coast of Ireland to Inis Mór, the largest of the three Aran Islands, to make a home for himself and fellow Celtic travellers, on this Atlantic shore.
He was drawn to Arainn (the correct name for Inis Mór) by a sense of belonging to a place that has a magical heritage, for the same reasons it attracted monks from the Celtic church 1,500 years ago and has attracted travellers and tourists ever since.
When O Maoildhia moved to Arainn 14 years ago, tourists numbered around 10,000. The islands now attract a quarter of a million tourists and the numbers are increasing.
This book, however, was not written for the tourist. It has been written for ``the questor, the searcher, the pilgrim, the spiritually hungry and those on a journey''. It is O Maoildhia's ``fervent'' hope that this book will ``touch and nourish'' the soul.
Essentially though, this is a tourist guide to Arainn - albeit a guide that resonates with a spiritual quality much deeper than the words which describe the myths, legends, folklore and history of the island. O Maoildhia has added to Artainn's rich written heritage with a fine snapshot.
Legends in the Landscape may look like a 96-page pocket-sized booklet. It is more than that. It is a passport to a world we are leaving behind. If you go to Arainn this summer, make sure you have a copy for the journey across Galway Bay.