The Aran Islands, Coiaify Galway. 305 



wrinkles. The irises are in the orreat majority of cases bUie 

 Qr blue-grey in colour. The nose is sharp, narrow at the base, 

 and slightly sinuous. The cheek bones are not prominent. 

 In many men the length between the nose and the chin has 

 the appearance of being decidedly great. The complexion is 

 clear and ruddy, and but seldom freckled. On the whole the 

 people are decidedly good-looking. The hair is brown in 

 colour ; in most cases of a lightish shade and accompanied Ijy 

 a light and often reddish beard. Kighty-nine per cent, of both 

 men and women had blue or light-grey eyes ; sixty-three per 

 cent, had light brown hair, and about twenty-six per cent, had 

 dark brown hair. 



According to the last census (1891) the total area of the three 

 islands is 11,288 acres, with a population of 2,907, 1,542 being 

 males and 1,365 being females. The gross rental is ;^2,o85 

 IDS. 6d. The north island, Aranmore, has 7,635 acres, 397 

 houses, 1,048 males, 948 females (total 1,996), and a rental of 

 ;^i,433 i8s. id. The middle island, Inishmaan, has 2,252 

 acres, 84 houses, 240 males, 216 females (total 456), and a 

 rental of ;^423 i8s. 5d. The south island, Inisheer, has 1,400 

 acres, 81 houses, 254 males, 201 females (total 455), and a 

 rental of ;^227 14s. From these statistics it will be seen that 

 there is an average acreage of 20a. or. i3^p. to each house of 

 five persons, and the corresponding rental is £'^ 14s. 2.UI. 

 The density of the population is 171 to the square mile, that 

 of Co. Galway is 87, and for the whole of Ireland 146. It 

 should, however, be borne in mind that a large proportion of 

 the land in the Aran Islands is incapable of cultivation. 



Irish is spoken by 88-47 P^r cent, of the people, of whom 77-2 

 speak Irish only. 



The inhabitants of one island do not, as a rule, intermarry 

 with those of another, and but little fresh blood can have been 

 introduced for generations. The people of each locality are 

 more or less inter-related, even though marriages between 

 those of close degrees of relationship may not be usual. 

 This accounts for the general similarity in personal appearance 

 which is observed among them, but no appreciable ill effect 

 results from the in-breeding. The population seems on the 

 whole to be an unusually healthy one. 



The older writers give very pleasing accounts of the 

 psychology of these people—" brave, hardy, industrious, 



