Farming and Fishing on the Isles of Aran

The Isles of Aran and incredibly beautiful places that are subjected to some very turbulent weather. The rugged landscapes are evidence of how these communities pull together to support one another and how important farming and fishing is to their livelihoods.

In the past, the islands were very much self-sufficient and the clachan or farming clusters – made up of between two and fifteen households who all pulled together – owned the land around them as a collective. Each farming household was given a strip of land that was fenced off when used for arable crops, farmers who wanted to graze cattle were allowed to do so on open land that was used by all other farmers in the cluster.

Image credit

Fishing has been essential for the survival of the islands for centuries and it is still an incredibly skilled job that is undertaken today. It is one of the reasons that we have Men’s Aran Sweaters available to us today as the fisherman wanted a garment that kept them warm during the long cold days and night out at sea. Why don’t you take a look online if you are Looking for Men’s Aran Sweaters?

The storm seas further out from the islands are very different from the calm bays that can be found on the mainland and many fishermen lost their lives. Traditionally in the past, Aran fisherman was told to respect the sea, and this is still very much the case today, however, in the past, many fishermen were never taught to swim as it was thought that they would be more careful out at sea if they didn’t know how to survive if they fell into the water.