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The Aran Isles: or, A report of the excursion of the Ethnological section of the British association from Dublin to the western islands of Aran, in September, 1857 (Author: Martin Haverty)

chapter 1


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ETHNOLOGICAL EXCURSION TO THE ARAN ISLES.

The Members and Associates of the Ethnological Section of the British Association, who had been enrolled for the Excursion to the Western Islands of Aran, assembled with punctuality at the Broadstone Terminus of the Midland Great Western Railway at an early hour on the morning of Thursday, September 3, 1857. With them were many other Members of the Association, who had obtained tickets for other excursions in the West; and the whole company occupied a long train of first-class carriages, which had most generously been placed specially at the disposal of the Association by the Railway Directors.

The Aran Excursion, however, is that with which alone we are here concerned. Owing to many circumstances, it was necessary to limit the number of this party. It was found that more than seventy could not be accommodated with tickets, and several gentlemen who had been most urgent in their application were unavoidably excluded. The Excursion was projected and organized, and was now to be conducted by W. R. Wilde, Esq., Secretary of Foreign Correspondence to the Royal Irish Academy, to whose talents, learning, and indefatigable zeal, — and, we must say, enthusiasm, — we have been so much indebted for the elucidation and development of our national antiquities.


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The project had excited a good deal of public interest. It was a great opportunity turned admirably to account; and if much was expected from it, the sequel, we are happy to say, will show that these anticipations have been realized, and that the Aran Excursion has, in truth, been the most memorable and the most important exploration of Irish historical monuments that has ever yet taken place. The train started at 7 o'clock, and arrived in Galway, without any incident worth description, about 11 o'clock. Here a large number separated into various parties, for the purpose of visiting Lough Corrib, and the wild scenery of Joyce Country and Connemara; while the Aran excursionists, who may, strictly speaking, be still called the Ethnological Section, after partaking of a cold breakfast at Kilroy's Hotel, and taking a hasty glance at some objects of interest in the ancient ‘City of the Tribes,’ proceeded to the Trinity House steam yacht, Vestal, Captain Evans, which lay inside the flood-gates of the new docks, waiting for high water to start on her voyage. How this fine boat was obtained for the occasion, and how everything else connected with this remarkable expedition was brought about, will appear in the course of the transactions which we have here to record. It is material to add that the weather, which had been doubtful for a while, now brightened up, and promised a glorious day. Thus far, everything went on most happily. The arrangements were perfect. The Excursionists were in the best spirits; and it was evident that a keen anticipation of something of more than ordinary interest had been excited in the breasts of all.1 At half-past 1 o'clock the Vestal, with her learned and distinguished freight, left the quays of Galway, and, after a few minutes' delay near Mutton Island, to put Mr. Halloran, the pilot, on shore, she proceeded, with a slight breeze from the west, on her course through the centre of the bay, towards those not yet visible points in the Atlantic which, a thousand years ago, were well known in the quaint Latin of the time as ‘Insulae in oceano occidentali positae cognomento Arann’.


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Our party of ethnologists were, as we have said, seventy in number, comprising —

  1. Rev. Dr. Mac Donnell, Provost of Trinity College, Dublin, Chairman.
  2. Charles C. Babington, St. John's College, Cambridge.
  3. F. de Burggraff, French Consul, Dublin.
  4. Francis W. Brady, Dublin.
  5. Captain Brownrigg, Dublin.
  6. F. W. Burton, Munich.
  7. L. F. Byrne, Blackrock.
  8. John A. Byrne, M.D., Dublin.
  9. General Colomb, Dublin.
  10. Pierce Creagh, Dublin.
  11. Professor E. Curry, Dublin.
  12. Sir Thomas Dancer, Naas.
  13. J. F. Duncan, M.D., Dublin.
  14. George Ellis, M.D., Dublin.
  15. Stephen N. Elrington, Dublin.
  16. Samuel Ferguson, Dublin.
  17. Thos. Fitzpatrick, M.D., Dublin.
  18. Charles H. Foot, Dublin.
  19. Richard H. Frith, C.E., Dublin.
  20. A. E. Gayer, Q.C., LL.D., Dublin.
  21. John T. Gilbert, Sec., Irish Arch, and Celtic Society, Dublin.
  22. M. Goodbody.
  23. John Grattan, Belfast.
  24. Rev. C. Graves, F.T.C.D., Dublin. (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Graves_(bishop))
  25. Rev. Richard Graves.
  26. Martin Haverty, Askeaton.
  27. Thomas Hayden, M. D., Dublin.
  28. Charles H. Hemphill, Dublin.
  29. Rev. J.H. Jellett, F.T.C.D., Dublin.
  30. Charles B. Johnston, Dublin.
  31. C. Croker King, M. D., Galway.
  32. Cathcart Lees, M. D., Dublin.
  33. John Lentaigne, D. L., Dublin.
  34. Joseph Lister, Edinburgh.
  35. L. Litton, Dublin.
  36. Acheson Lyle, M. C., Dublin.
  37. George Macdona, Dublin.
  38. H. H. G. Mac Donnell, Dublin.
  39. Captain R. Maguire, R. N., of the late Arctic Expedition.
  40. William Millen, Belfast.
  41. J. M. Mitchell, Sec. Foreign Cor., Antiquarian Soc. of Scotland.
  42. Wm. D. Moore, M. D., Dublin.
  43. Park Neville, C. E., Dublin.
  44. John O'Donovan, LL.D., Dublin.
  45. W. J. O'Donovan, London.
  46. Thomas O'Hagan, Q.C., Dublin.
  47. Captain Percy, Dublin.
  48. George Petrie, LL. D., Dublin.
  49. William Robinson, Dublin.
  50. Professor J.Y. Simpson, Edinburgh.
  51. Dr. Norton Shaw, Secretary, Geographical Society, London.
  52. Aquilla Smith, M. D., Dublin.
  53. R. Mackay Smith, Edinburgh.
  54. Huband Smith, Dublin.
  55. William Stokes, M. D., Dublin.
  56. Whitley Stokes, London.
  57. Rev. John W. Stubbs, F.T.C.D., Dublin.
  58. Thomas H. Thompson, Dublin.
  59. H. P. Truell, Wicklow.
  60. Robert Truell, Wicklow.
  61. Jolliffe Tuffnell, F.R.C.S.I., Dublin.
  62. Henry Wilson, Dublin.
  63. W. R. Wilde, Director of the Excursion.
  64. Andrew Armstrong, Secretary.


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Leaving Galway and its fine modern railway structures — so strongly contrasted with its mediaeval castles and dingy, ancient walls — behind us, and the low, wooded peninsula of Maree, or the ancient Madrigia, where terminated the Eskers, or ridges of sandy hills that extend across Ireland from Dublin, and separated the island into its first Milesian divisions of Leath Mogha on the south, and Leath Cuinn on the north — leaving those places so often mentioned in Irish history far behind, we passed on the right the white cliffs of Barna, and then by the gloomy highland bogs of Iar-Connaught, to which soon succeeded the rugged coasts of Cashla Bay, and the craggy isles of Lettermore and Lettermullin, with the light blue masses of the Joyce Country Mountains, and the clustered pinnacles at Benabeola, or the Twelve Pins, traced against the azure background in the far distance; and on the left the limestone hills of Burren, forming, every few minutes, as we glided rapidly over the bay, new and beautiful combinations, varied, in the lights and shadows of a hazy sunshine, by the deep inlets of New Quay and Ballyvaughan, and the majestic promontory of Black Head. While thus advancing towards our destination, it may be well to tell, in a few words, something of the history of those Islands of strange interest — Aran-na-neev, or Aran of the Saints — whither we are journeying, that the reader may be the better able to enter into the spirit of our pilgrimage.