Page 11 - Sphere No.26 (Mar 2010)

Issue 26 9
3G Ho t Spo t
•
Windswept cliffs
on the Aran Islands.
THE RUGGED, WINDSWEPT ARAN ISLANDS along Ireland’s west coast are home to a population which has
long grown used to doing without many of the amenities of modern life. The three islands, situated at the mouth
of Galway Bay, enjoy a long cultural history going back centuries; even today, Gaelic is still widely spoken.
The total number of residents is counted in hundreds and they are often outnumbered by day-trippers in
summer. During winter, howling gales sweep over the rugged cliffs and rocky fields. The economy relies on
tourists who come across on the ferry to visit the Iron Age forts, down a pint of Guinness or two at the local
pub and buy souvenirs at the handful of local shops. The islands’ most enduring symbol is the hand-knit
fisherman’s Aran sweater and the patterns incorporated in traditional Aran hand knitting have been handed
down from mother to daughter for generations.
It’s a place for hardy folk whose many might say lead lives that are more than a little isolated. But things
are changing, and 3 Ireland is helping to keep the people of Aran connected with the outside world through
the National Broadband Scheme (NBS), a government-backed service to provide remote and rural parts of
Ireland with affordable broadband services.
Local businesses are now able to make the most of high speed Internet, e-mail and additional services,
Ireland
Calling
How 3 is helping
residents of remote
and rural parts of
Ireland enjoy the
benefits of broadband
By Jon Marsh