County Clare
County Clare is probably one of the biggest tourist attractions in all of Ireland. It enjoys a beautifully scenic coastline that borders the western part of Ireland, with towering cliffs and rocky landscapes to add to the sense of adventure.
Because Clare is so rich in bodies of water, it is a mecca for outdoors enthusiasts who love to spend a Saturday afternoon boating along the Lough Derg, Ireland’s third largest lake. The River Shannon is also located nearby, which offers much in the way of water-based diversions as well.
Clare is in the Province of Munster and it also boasts its own airport. This makes it one of the more accessible counties, and thousands of visitors flock here from all over the world. Its main towns are Ennis, Shannon and Kilrush, and it is to these towns where most of the tourists head. In fact, Ennis is the largest town in all of Munster Province, and it is also where Clare’s airport is located, making it the drop off point for millions of tourists who enter the country every year. The town also contains one of the country’s most prominent tourist attractions, the Cliffs of Moher.
Shannon is a relative newcomer to Clare, and it is one of only a few planned towns in all of Ireland. The town runs adjacent to the Shannon Airport, and originally it was established to serve as a home base for all the thousands of airport workers who would be moving to Clare when the airport was built. Today, however, it serves as the jumping off point for tourists using the airport facilities on their travels through Ireland.
Visitors to County Clare can find a wealth of accommodation, ranging from small rooming houses to authentic Irish hotels. Eateries abound as well, most of them serving the more traditional Irish fare, with an ambience that is definitely Irish in flavour. Most offer live music and patrons can take to the stage and learn the Irish jig among other traditional dance moves.
The county is particularly known for its ties to traditional Irish music, and on any given night, one can hear the strains of the old Irish ballads coming from the many eateries and concert halls that are plentiful in the county. It is the birthplace of Maura O’Connell, the famed Grammy-nominated songstress. Micho Russell, the legendary tin-whistle player, also hails from County Clare.
The county hosts several music festivals throughout the year, which also serves to bring in tourists from near and far. One of these, the Willie Clancy Summer School, holds their festival every July. The festival is dedicated to the memory of Willie Clancy, the famous uilleann piper. During the days this festival takes place, the town of Miltown Malbay is packed with tourists who wait all year to come and listen to their favourite Irish artists perform.
In addition to music, County Clare is known for its sporting successes. Rugby is a popular spectator, as well as participatory, sport, as is hurling. In fact, Clare’s hurling team has amassed several world records in recent years, including winning the coveted Liam McCarthy Cup in 1995.
County Clare is probably best known for the historic sites one can visit there. Visitors can find some 3,000 stone forts dotting the landscape. There are also numerous megalithic tombs, not to mention some 300 castles. Religion has always been a way of life for the people of this province and in Clare alone, one can find some 250 ancient churches, seven tall imposing cathedrals, 12 monastery properties, and over 20 stone crosses.
The entire county is literally awash in ruins, with a variety of round towers, castles and abbeys all waiting to be explored. There are also many tour operators located in the county, each of whom is intimately familiar with the county’s illustrious history and anxious to share it with tourists.
There are also tours available that visit the famed Cliffs of Moher, one of the most famous landmarks in all of Ireland.
The county is also the proud home of the Lahinch and Doonbeg Golf Courses, which offer a variety of challenging holes for beginners and experts alike. They also offer some of the most scenic fairways in the world and people from all over come to play them just to gaze in wonder at the natural beauty that surrounds them. Both of these properties are located within an hour of the Shannon Airport, and there is plenty of transport available to access either one of them.
County Clare is one of the most visited counties in all of Ireland and that’s probably because it offers something for everyone, all in a friendly style of Irish hospitality.