Aran Islands

It's such a trippy, cool landscape.

We are going to go out to one of the Aran Islands called Innesbofen.

in sheer it's the smallest of the erin islands and we'll do some walking there and experience that gallic uh really kind of really strong gallic uh community there and we will lastly walk along the top of the cliffs of moore because you can't you know be in county claire and not see the cliffs of moore so this is an incredible adventure again the dates for this one are june 12th to the 20th of 2027.

And the price starts here from about $6,223.

I had been in school since I was three years old and just finished my master's program.

And it was sort of the first time in my life that I wasn't uh, sort of hyper overachieving every day, you know? And, um, so I was doing work exchange at a hostel on the Aran Islands, uh, very close to where I live now, actually on the, in the West of Ireland.

And, um, I met this handsome Irish horse trainer who had come out for a holiday and, uh, we had this very intense romance and ended up eloping, uh, exactly a year to the day after we met.

And we were married for, um, about four years, a little more than four years, uh, when, when we split up.

Yeah, because it was certainly not an option available to me.

When the Irish class happened, we would go to another room and in would come a man just off the boat from the Aran Islands who I don't think spoke a lick of English.

and was a fearsome dude.

So I'm very glad I never had to sit in his classroom.

And we'd be doing proof rock and we'd be doing, you know, we'd be doing words work and we'd be doing Shakespeare and we'd be doing modern and all this.

It was amazing.

And then you do the Irish language stuff which was three guys from the Aran Islands writing about, you know.

They showed a video once of a guy called Sean O'Riordan who was an Irish language poet.

Why don't we watch this? And yeah, so we loved the Wiggles and we what was a genuinely exciting moment for me is.

as anybody who watches kids TV is the songs can you know sometimes you just end up blocking them out nearly you're just like the child is singing along yeah yeah yeah because you listen to them so many times and a lot of them are on repeat and you know you know hot potato hot potato all this kind of stuff so many bangers that Wiggles have and one day I was watching it and next thing they did poor old Michael Finnegan beginning again and I was like I thought that was an Irish song and then I was like maybe it isn't but you just kind of uh thought it was and then and then and I knew this was an Irish song along came the Ratlin Bog the Wiggles were doing a version of the Ratlin Bog I was like what is happening what is happening of course I'm 100% invested I'm in I'm telling my nephew this is now this is this is it we have to get this song and he loves it and like when when it comes on he dances around the place we played where we went to Clare a couple years ago for my birthday and it was actually a storm so we were planning to go to the Aran Islands but there was a storm so we couldn't go so we went through this little town, and there was a pub with a trad session on, so we just went in, it was during the day, and we asked the band to play The Ratlin' Bog, and oh my God, my nephew was buzzing, and they let him hit the bear on, and it was really, really good fun, and it was just such crack, and I just couldn't believe that this Australian children's group were playing Irish trad songs.

so we are team Lockie Wiggle and team John Wiggle we're Purple Wiggle House okay we love them now obviously you know you love Simon Wiggle and Emma Wiggle and all the team there but we were we are a Purple Wiggle House so last year I got to take them with two of my sisters we went to see the Wiggles in concert but it was in Manchester because they hadn't come to Dublin or to Ireland so we went to Manchester and we had a great time and you know it's an hour-long show the kids are buzzing the parents are you know like buzzing as well because you've heard these songs so many times too and it was a really cool atmosphere everyone was really really lovely and we had great fun and then I heard they just announced that the Wiggles are coming to Dublin the board gosh next April and I was like oh my god I'm in I'm invested I'm there we are so going and then I got the opportunity to chat to Lockie Wiggle So in Cool Auntie Points, I'm pretty sure it's up there.

How my sisters are going to beat me in the Cool Auntie Points is beyond me unless they know any of the Paw Patrol lads or Spider-Man.

And, uh, She came back a few minutes later and said, you'll be here in 20 minutes.

Again, we were facing the Aran Islands.

So I was relieved that she had phoned at that stage.

But I got progressively worse.