While you all were working yesterday, I was on a boat to Inishmor the largest of the Aran Islands. It is off the west coast of Ireland. The population is 760 people (300 homes). The island is 9 miles by 2 miles and home to the largest Celtic fort built on a cliff. It’s an hour boat ride from Doolin on the mainland (maybe 30 minutes from Galway). Tourism has to be the largest industry – although AT&T used to have a factory there for developing wires or something like it. The sweaters are also famous.
It’s a very rural area – roosters on the front stoop, loads of cattle, and the tour guide showed us the donkey that was born last week kind of rural.
Inishmor got electricity in 1975. They generated their own electricity until 2000 (or 2003, I wasn’t taking great notes). Now they have an underwater connection to the mainland. They have broadband – well I saw at least one sign for Internet access and at least one hotel that offered free WiFi. (I didn’t actually bring my laptop – but I kept my eyes open.)
I just thought that was so telling – that a land that was so remote that they waited until 1975 to get electricity hopped on the broadband bandwagon relatively quickly.
In fairness the connection installed for electricity in 2000 made it easier to get broadband out there – but still kind of worth noting, I thought.
[...] can’t imagine what it’s like in rural areas. Now I just reported that I did find broadband in the Aran Islands and it’s tough to get more remote than an Island off the coast of Galway – but that is an area [...]
By: Ireland needs broadband for businesses « Blandin on Broadband on May 21, 2008
at 9:39 am