Aer Arann is more than an airline to the Aran Islands. It’s a lifeline

Caomhan Keane explains the link between the Aran Islands and Aer Arann and shows why the link is as much about the past and the people as it is about the future.

As first jobs go, mine was a bit of a doozy. Six times a day, with the help of my pup Streak, I took to the airfield at Inis Mór Airport to clear it of rabbits and donkeys that may have wandered onto the runway, allowing for the safe landing of the daily flights from the mainland that brought only passengers, but the post, the papers, and perishables.

Another obstacle has wandered into the path of Aer Arann of late, and alas, Streak is no longer with us to chase him off. Minister for the Gaeltacht Joe McHugh last month announced that the preferred tender to provide an air service to the Aran Islands was no longer to be Aer Arann.