The play is set on the Aran Islands, off the western coast of Ireland. The Aran Islands are composed of three islands, Inish Mór or the Large Island, Inish Meá in or the Middle Island, and finally Inish Oír or the Small Island. This play takes place on Inish Meáin, a small cropping of rock only a few miles from the coastal town of Galway. The islands were carved by the glaciers and millenniums of ocean winds had removed all the topsoil leaving the three islands covered with thousands of small boulders and rocks. Over the period of four thousand years settlers took these rocks and stacked them into both fortresses and walled enclosures. Inside of these enclosures they mixed sand, seaweed and manure and the result was islands soil. They planted crops and kept livestock inside of these enclosures since then.

Here are some photographs of Inish Meáin or Inishmaan taken in the summer of 2001. In some photographs you will see power lines. Electricity now is available to the residents of the island. Many of the homes have satellite dishes so the locals have contact with the rest of the world but the only access to these islands is either by one of the Ferry services or by plane. All of the signs on these islands are written only in Gaelic. Locals do speak English but prefer their own Irish tongue. Irish students study Gaelic ten hours a week. During the summer months students come to the islands to practice their native tongue with the locals.

Aran pathway

Stacked rock house. No concrete

Rock house

Aran road

Aran farmhouse

Billy Cripple's Cows

a Currach

Aran land without soil

Synge's home