The Aran Islands Tide Clock

The Aran Islands (Oileáin Áran)  also known as The Arans (na hÁrainneacha) are a group of three islands located at the mouth of Galway Bay, on the west coast of Ireland, with a total area of about 46 km² (18 sq mi). Three limestone outcrops –facing the open Atlantic and the long swells rolling in from the west. Ferries, fishing boats and yachts weave through narrow sounds and channels marked by lighthouses, leading lights and carefully buoyed passages between banks, shoals and rocky headlands

From west to east the islands are: Inishmore (Árainn Mhór/Inis Mór the largest; Inishmaan (Inis Meáin/Inis Meadhóin, the second-largest; and Inisheer (Inis Thiar/Inis Oírr/Inis Oirthir the smallest.Cliffs, stone forts and scattered villages ring the islands, while the sea around them is threaded with names like Gregory Sound, Foul Sound, Curran Banks, Inishmaan Bank and South Sound.

The islands belong to the Gaeltacht.

What is a tide clock?

A tide clock is a device that tells you if the tide is high or low, and how much time is left before it changes. It works by synchronising with the lunar cycle, which influences the tides. The tide clock has a single hand that rotates once every 12 hours and 25 minutes, which is the average time between two high tides or two low tides. The dial of the tide clock is divided into sections that indicate the state of the tide: high, low, rising, or falling. By looking at the position of the hand, you can tell what the tide is doing and how long it will take to change.

Why use a tide clock?

A tide clock can help you plan your activities around the Aran Islands by letting you know when the water is high enough or low enough for your preferred activity. For example, if you want to swim, you might want to avoid low tide, when the water is shallow and cold, and rocks and seaweed are exposed. If you want to fish, you might want to avoid high tide, when the water is deep and fast, and the fish are more dispersed. Going sailing, surfing, or kayaking? You might want to choose a time when the tide is rising or falling, which often creates more favourable conditions for these sports. If you want to walk along the shore, you might want to choose a time when the tide is low, which reveals more of the beach, rock pools and wildlife.

What is a marine chart?

A marine chart is a map of the sea and shoreline that shows water depths, hazards, and features you can use to understand the geography and infrastructure of a coastal location. It uses symbols and numbers to show how deep the water is at different places, where rocks, sandbanks, or wrecks are, and where channels are safer for boats. The chart marks landmarks on land—like lighthouses, piers, and headlands—so you can match what you see to the map.

What are the details of the Aran Islands tide clock?

• 260 mm x 260 mm and 45mm deep. (10″ x 10″ x 1.75″)
  
• Heavy duty professionally printed canvas.
• Solid-wood frame. Select from either black or white.
• Real glass
  
• Delivered in a presentation box with “Who knows what the tide may bring” printed on it.

The Aran Islands tide clock contains full instructions on how to set and how to read a tide clock.

This is not a navigation device.