Switching off for a taste of the simple life

FOR AS long as I can remember I have heard stories about the Aran Islands.

I listened with awe as a child when my grandfather talked of watching currachs heading out into the Atlantic Ocean with nothing more than instinct to guide them home to the ragged rock off the Clare coast.

But despite being fascinated by a slice of Ireland steeped in history, folklore and tradition, I never thought to make the short hop to check it out for myself.