Aran Island Ferries host a group of 40 Ukrainian Refugees on board Saoirse na Farraige for memorable day on Inis Mór and the Cliffs of Moher.
Today, Wednesday 1st of June at 9.30am, Aran Island Ferries will host a group of 40 Ukrainian Refugees onboard the award winning Saoirse na Farraige for a Cruise on Galway Bay to Inis Mór the largest of the three Aran Islands. The group will be treated to a guided tour of the Island by Gabriel Faherty of Aran Food Tours and Aran Islands Goats Cheese company. They will have the have the opportunity to climb the stunning Dún Aengus Cliffs, Europe’s most westerly point followed by lunch in Tigh Nan Phaidaí. At 3.30pm, the group will then depart Inis Mór on board Ireland’s largest domestic passenger ferry Saoirse na Farraige and cruise by Inis Meáin and Inis Oirr before taking in the splendour of the world famous Cliffs of Moher.
The group of 40 Ukrainian refugees fled war torn Ukraine and arrived in Galway in April where they are now staying in hotels across the city. The group, which is made up of a number of families, includes grandmothers, mothers, young adults, teenagers, young children and four men. Many of the group have secured work since arriving in Galway, children and young adults are attending schools and college and their English is quite good and are in a position to interpret for their parents and the adults in the group. The group hail from cities in the Ukraine such as Kyiv which has since been destroyed in the war.
"Aran Island Ferries are delighted to host the group along with our tourism colleagues on Inis Mór," says Áine Mc Loughlin, Marketing Manager with Aran Island Ferries. "The people of Ukraine have experienced so much hardship, we want to make them feel at home in Galway and share with them the most westerly point in Europe, Inis Mór, Dún Aengus cliffs and the unique Gaeltacht island culture of the Aran Islands along with the splendid Cliffs of Moher. We hope today will help soothe some of their worries and create new and happy memories of their time here in Galway while enjoying Saoirse na Farraige’s cruise on Galway Bay."
Skipper Aodhán Mac Donncha will extend a Céad Míle Fáilte to the group on board the award winning Saoirse na Farraige which is now in its second year of operation from Galway City Docks cruising to Inis Mór and the Cliffs of Moher. Aodhán and his crew will preview what lies ahead for the group in terms of sites, wildlife, and the unique features of Galway Bay, the Connemara, Clare and Wild Atlantic Way Coastlines and what the tradition of island life is for the people of the Aran Islands.
The group will meet Gabriel Faherty of Aran Food Tours and Aran Goats Cheese on arrival at Kilronan, who will give them an opportunity to explore the island, meet the islanders and get a taste of life on the largest of the Aran Islands. It is an opportunity for the group to experience a unique culture and learn the history of island life its traditions and the hardships of former generations whose families hold the legacy and tradition of Gaeltacht Island life, culture, Irish language, farming, fishing and tourism today.
The award winning Aran Island Ferries daily cruise from Galway City docks departs daily at 9.30am and will operate through to the end of September 2022. Ticket prices for a return journey from Galway City Docks are; Adult: €49, Student/Senior: €44, Child: €25. Day Tours, Overnight Tours, Single Tours and Family Rates are available to purchase. More information can be found by visiting www.aranislandferries.com calling 091 568903 or emailing info@aranislandferries.com
