The Aran Island cover art

The Aran Island

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Try for £0.00
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

The Aran Island

By: J. M. Synge
Narrated by: Donal Donnelly
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £15.99

Buy Now for £15.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

J.M. Synge, one of the greatest English language playwrites of the 20th century, immortalized the Aran Islands and its people with vivid written portraits that are among the greatest in modern literature. Synge’s vibrant language and earthy themes breathtakingly capture the folklore and way of life that has since perished on these remote northern islands. As an aspiring writer in 1897, Synge was commanded by William Butler Yeats to, “Go to the Aran Islands. Live there as one of the people themselves; express a life that has never found expression.” Synge captures his first four visits to the islands in this magical book. However, their influence continued to permeate his work, including The Playboy of the Western World. Filled with the exuberant energy of an artist coming into his own, The Aran Islands provides an unforgettable look at a land that holds Ireland’s ancestral language, culture and uncorrupted heart. Synge’s lyrical glimpses into the past, coupled with Donal Donnelly’s rich, lilting voice transports listeners to these tiny Emerald Islands.

Public Domain (P)1997 Recorded Books, LLC
Europe Travel Writing & Commentary Western Europe Island Ireland Heartfelt
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Celtic Twilight cover art
Holy Terrors cover art
The Writer on the Hill cover art
The Parihaka Woman cover art
The Dreaming cover art
Australia's Best Unknown Stories cover art
Song of the Sea Maid cover art
Sir Gibbie cover art
Out of Africa cover art
Wanting cover art
Following the Equator cover art
The Three Impostors and Other Weird Tales cover art
Hannay: His 5 Adventures cover art
Tipperary cover art
Salt On Your Tongue cover art
Bitter Lemons of Cyprus cover art

Editor reviews

The Aran Islands are a tiny cluster of Irish-speaking lands off the western coast of Ireland, far removed from Ireland’s cultural and literary center. John Millington Synge, one of the wild boys of Irish writing, took a trip to the islands in 1898 on advice from William Butler Yeats. Soon after, he published "his first serious piece of work", this memoir of life on the traditional islands.

Performed in a beautifully rolling Irish tenor by Donal Donnelly, The Aran Islands treats the listener to "long-legged pigs...playing in the surf", sweeping fogs, and a cast of unforgettable, rustic characters. A fresh memory in its time, The Aran Islands now has the whisper of elegy. Don’t skip the introduction by the late contemporary master, Frank McCourt.

What listeners say about The Aran Island

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    11
  • 4 Stars
    5
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    11
  • 4 Stars
    5
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    9
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Excellent book

I loved this book from beginning to end. The people are portrayed in such a loving manner.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful