If Aran was a man ……

My father taught me, and more importantly, showed me that in a family, a man’s primary function and purpose is to protect, love and look after his care and if you close your eyes and picture Aran as a man ;

His strong back and big shoulders are the cliffs of Aran , shielding and protecting his care from the relentless waves that crash against him on a daily basis.
Picture how he puts himself up against the might of the Atlantic to mind his family.
His broad back shields and protects them and his strong arms holds and embraces them.

This man is strong yet gentle,
He faces the elements on a daily basis, in the name of love but because he has true courage and bravery in his heart this man has no need or desire for ego, self promotion or aggression.
He is primal , he is honourable, he is chivalrous, he is not afraid of the challenges of life or of his feelings and emotions.
Because he faces life’s challenges for his care, he is accomplished, modest and as a consequence is blessed with generosity of spirit.

I can honestly tell you that this man is Aran.

The spirit of that man is alive and well today. He meets and overcomes his challenges in different ways but please know that the irrepressible, pioneering and unbreakable island spirit is as alive and present as ever it was.

The Bull Mc Cabe said in the film, The Field
” we’ll live forever “.
As long as there is life on this island, the spirit of the Man of Aran will live on forever.

Those manly qualities are the goals, ideals and aspirations of every man that draws breath and in truth , on our best day, we may only touch gently and even tenuously on those qualities but the challenge is to keep on shooting for those stars.

More from my beloved Island soon.

Conor Meehan.