Unforgettable Inishmore: Private Aran Islands History & Culture

This review concerns the bus tours offered by locals when you arrive rather than anything pre booked. There are literally dozens of minibus drivers trying to get you on board saying " let me show you what we do". We had the misfortune to get on the bright yellow bus with Mike. He turned out to be a most disagreeable and rude individual literally screaming at some passengers as they couldn't get off his bus in time as he had to rush off to do another tour while we were dropped off at the fort for an hour and a half. It was very hot and he couldn't be bothered to open the roof lights so was driving around with the back door open. In addition his driving was abysmal, nearly hitting many cyclists who dared to get in his way. He was a danger on the road and all he was interested in was getting as many people on the bus and as many tours in as he could. He ran out of time with us so we missed the stop at the seal colony. It was a rip off and we refused to pay. AVOID THE BRIGHT YELLOW BUS.

Gabriel was an entertaining guide and certainly knew the island. Other than that it was the worst value tour I have taken in years and that includes private tours in Italy, Scotland, France, Norway, and Sweden. We prefer private tours but in this case the Hop On Hop Off would have been the better choice.

We enjoyed the short hike up to the fort and the beautiful views. We appreciated that Gabriel shared his goats and some goat cheese but would have liked to see how it is made and understand the process better. Gabriel gave us some good insight into island life but not a lot of history of the island. 1 1/2 hours of the trip were spent on our own exploring the fort and the small shopping area and having lunch leaving about an hour of actual time on the tour, which made it a very over priced hour.

We had a great tour of Inishmore with Gabriel. We spoke the day prior and I informed him of my wife's limited mobility and he customized the tour to our needs and threw in a few special stops for us. The tour was a little pricey, but given that we were only on the island for a few hours and may never return, it was worth it to make sure we saw everything we wanted to see. Highly recommend this tour if you're doing a day trip to Inishmore and want to see as much as possible.

Gabriel Faherty was an awesome tour guide he has lived on Inishmore all his life and comes from a long line of full-time residents there so he knows everything and was so entertaining with his tour of the island for our family. Gabriel also runs Aran Islands Goat Cheese Company which makes award winning goat cheese--he was kind enough to show us around the cheese production facility as part of our tour and even gave us samples which were delicious. There are lots of longer tours but our 2.5 hour tour was really plenty to get a good feel for Inishmore.

Provided transport to interesting places and provided interesting commentary on goats cheese farm and manufacturing . Guide did not provide any historical or cultural information as per advertised title of tour. Interior of bus was wet as roof windows had been left open overnight. Not recommended.

Walking up to the fortress and seeing the cliffs. Lunch at the cafe. Watching the Ryder Cup in a bar waiting for the ferry.

We had a great time on Gabriel's tour of the island. We toured the island by minibus stopping at points of interest, hiked to Dun Aonghasa, did some shopping, and met Gabriel's goats! It was a great way to get the local perspective and see the island with zero stress.

We had a wonderful day and great guide with Gabriel. Showed around the island gave us time to explore and shop. Wonderful restaurant to eat at. The highlight is his goat farm/cheese making factory/store. His goats are full of character and like to be pet. He talks to you about the whole process from beginning to end. His goat cheese is amazing too! As of right now though it is in such high demand you either have to get a taste on the tour or at the Castle Ashford and other fine dining. 🥰

Gabriel’s goat farm and extraordinary cheese tasting and chat about the process was so lovely. This Aran Island Greek Style cheese, is the best! I’ve sampled— many! Martin drove us around the island, tirelessly, with the best stories from his heart, & humour. I wanted to move to the Island! Be prepared for island time, and don’t worry no one misses their ferry. Such a lovely experience. Lovely, lovely people and craic.