We hated to leave Inishbofin. It is probably one of our favorite stops in Ireland so far! But the time came to move on again. From Inishbofin, we sailed to Clare Island, a quaint small island positioned at the mouth of Clew Bay.

Our first stop was the 3-story tower house of the famous 16th-century pirate queen, Grace O’Malley. Tower houses were often three or four stories high, with a vault over the ground floor, and were protected by a parapet over the entrance, allowing stones or other objects to be dropped directly onto attackers.

After leaving Dingle, we did a long sail up to the Aran Islands. We arrived at the island of Inishmore just after midnight. I really dislike coming into anchorages late at night—it makes everything a bit more difficult. But sometimes, it is unavoidable. 

The Aran Islands are a group of three islands—Inishmore, Inishmaan, and Inisheer—located at the mouth of Galway Bay off the west coast of Ireland. The primary language spoken is Gaelic (Irish), though everyone also speaks English.