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5 comments about The Aran Islands (Marlboro Travel).

1. Not only does this book describe a time long past but Synge has a deeper sense of the psychology of the inhabitants of the Aran Islands and how it differs with that of "civilized" people of the time. Anyone who is interested in this topic and enjoys this book would do well to read Twenty Years A-Growing by Maurice O'Sullivan, which is a personal account by Mr. O'Sullivan of his life on Ireland's Great Blasket Island and is a wonderful, lyrical read that shows alot of humor as well as love for the natural world around him.



2. This book describes the adventures of J. M. Synge on the Aran Islands around the turn of the Twentieth Century. William Butler Yeats suggested that Synge visit the island in order to learn Irish and become acquainted with traditional Irish culture as it had been preserved on the islands. Synge followed his suggestion, and made four lengthy trips to the islands. In this book, he recounts his experiences on the islands, together with some of the stories and poems that were recited to him there.
   
   The book is a unique collection of travelogue, journal, and research notebook. Synge describes his relationships with individuals on the islands, as well as some of the common traits and customs observable there. He tells us about harrowing sea passages that he took from island to island in small rowed boats, and records a number of folk-tales that were shared with him by island residents. Synge was to draw on all of this material in his later writing career, making the book quite interesting for those who enjoy his plays. The book also provides informative details of what daily life was like in this remote region at the time.



3. The search for authentic experiences is regarded as an important theme in postmodernism. John Millington Synge's book demonstrates that this quest for authenticity has been an important part of cultural inquiry for a long time. This wonderful book was written almost one hundred years ago, but it reads like a contemporary ethnographic inquiry. He provides vivid descriptions of daily life and wonderful presentations of the folklore of the Aran Islands. The book is primarily descriptive, but there are interesting textures and conclusions throughout Synge's writing. I would recommend reading this book and then watching Flaherty's film "Man of Aran." Follow up that visual feast with Stoney's "The Making of the Myth." To complete your excursion, top things off with a reading of Synge's "Playboy of the Western World" and "Riders to the Sea," two fine plays that he set on the Aran Islands. The stories, descriptions, and textures within Synge's book will become very clear when you're finished.



4. "The Aran Islands" is a delightful rendition of the experiences of J. M. Synge during his visits to the Aran Islands just over a century ago. Synge's journey had been encouraged by William Butler Yeats. "Go to the Aran Islands. Live there as one of the people themselves; express a life that has never found expression." Here Synge gained an insight into the Irish character which would enrich his later works.

   The Aran Islands are a chain of islands off the coasts of Connemara and Clare. Isolated by the sea, the Arans, like the Galapagos in the natural world, preserve the language and customs of traditional Ireland.

   The book is a narrative of what Synge saw and the stories he heard during his stays in the Arans, told by a master storyteller in the finest Irish tradition. The language is delightful, the stories are entertaining and the insight into the Irish soul is profound. A must read for any lover of the Irish.




5. My dad was born there in the 1950's and i was named after it. not a bad place, not much to do but nice to visit. the book is informal but informative.

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