1) Spending the night on Inis Mór, Aran Islands: This is probably one of the most remote places I have been to in the world. Off the west coast of Ireland, the Arans are three islands located at the mouth of Galway Bay. Inis Mór is the largest with a population of about 840 (approximately 1,200 in total on all three islands, Irish being the primary language spoken). Inis Mór is also the largest island off the Irish coast with no bridge or causeway to the mainland — you can only arrive by air or sea. (The evening I was there, I met a 16-year-old working at a restaurant who said he had never left the Aran Islands his entire life!). The island is more crowded during the day with day trippers coming over to the island in the morning and taking the last boat of the evening back to the mainland. Once that ferry departs, only the locals and a few overnight travelers remain.
While on Inis Mór, I rented a bicycle and pedaled around the island. I was struck by the island’s rugged and raw beauty. There were hardly any cars and I rarely passed another person the further I went along. I biked on mostly gravel roads, passing miles and miles of ancient stone walls and meeting some furry friends along the way.
That island, and specifically that moment and feeling standing on the cliff’s edge, is still so real and tangible for me, even years later. I often revisit that memory when I want to remind myself of the simultaneous nothingness and everythingness that makes up life.
At the end of the night (meaning early morning), Éamonn cut me a guitar pick from a cardboard coaster which I still have in my wallet to this day, and David assured me I was welcome back anytime. I made my way back to the hostel I was staying at down the road, and after a few hours of sleep wrote them a thank you note for their hospitality, slipped it under The Marina Inn door and then caught an all too early bus out of Dingle (heading to the Aran Islands, point 1 above).
Later that week, I posted on my Instagram account: “There are times while traveling when everything comes together and nothing else matters except that particular moment and place. You wouldn't rather be anywhere else in world. It's about the people you meet and the character of the place. I felt such happiness in Dingle town, Ireland.”
I may never see my Dingle friends again, or I maybe I will if I make it back there in the future. Who knows. But my second time to Dingle has reinforced for me that the people you meet around the world, even if only for a few hours, can become a much larger and meaningful part of your life. It’s not necessarily the person(s) themself, but the exchange of stories and shared experiences that have a lasting impact. The guitar pick I carry with me from that night symbolizes human connection and connectedness in the most random of places. That solo travel doesn't have to mean you are alone. That beautiful life moments and friendships can happen at the most unexpected times, if you are open to accepting them. I almost walked past the man smoking at the door of The Marina Inn in April 2013. I don’t know what pulled me inside but I’m sure glad that it did.