County Clare

For other places with the same name, see Clare (disambiguation).

Clare

County Clare is in the Shannon Region of Ireland.

Towns

• Ennis - the county town, and the largest in County Clare
• Kilkee
• Killaloe - on the Shannon River
• Kilrush
• Lahinch - a seaside resort
• Liscannor
• Lisdoonvarna - renowned for its spa waters
• Miltown Malbay - a coastal town, famous for its summer school of Irish traditional music
• Newmarket-on-Fergus
• Shannon

Other destinations

• Bunratty Castle - restored castle of the Earl of Thomond
• The Burren is a special landscape of frequently bare limestone pavement (Karst) which is of great interest to botanists, cavers and anyone who appreciates the unusual. This area overlooks the Atlantic Ocean and Galway Bay a few charming villages and the highest sheer cliffs in Ireland (Cliffs of Moher).
• Carrigaholt - a beautiful little village on the coast. Dolphin-watching from the pier
• The Cliffs of Moher are one of Ireland's most popular tourist haunts, offering spectacular views of the Atlantic.
• Cooraclare
• Corofin - the place if you are looking for information on your Clare ancestors as it is home to Clare Heritage and Genealogical Research Centre
• Doolin - a small village, famous for its Irish music tradition and the atmosphere in its pubs
• Kilfenora
• Loop Head - located on the cliff edge at the tip of Loop Head penisula. A puffin colony live on a sea stack just off-shore
• Querrin - Querrin Shore
• Spanish Point - beautiful beach, named for the Spanish sailors who were washed ashore after the wrecking of the Spanish Armada.

Understand

Clare people are very friendly and welcoming to visitors. The county is quite commercialized with regard to tourists and there are numerous activities within its borders to cater for all tastes. A visitor could easily spend two weeks in the county without feeling that they have run out of things to do or see. Because Shannon Airport, the second airport of Ireland and the first stopover for transatlantic flights, is situated in the county, Clare gets many tourists and sometimes this means places can be crowded.

Talk

English is the first language of Clare people, although it can be quite difficult to understand the "brogue" at times.

Get in

By plane

Shannon Airport [5], which is in County Clare is one of the three primary international airports that serve Ireland along with Dublin Airport [6] and Cork Airport [7]. The airport is ideally located in County Clare and easily accessible from both Limerick City and Ennis. During 2007, Shannon airport handled over 3.5million passengers. Shannon Airport handles a lot of air traffic between Ireland and the United States and has US border preclearance.

The largest operator in Shannon Airport is Ryanair [8] who offer over 30 routes to destinations both in Ireland and around Europe, followed by Aer Lingus [9]. The other major scheduled passenger airlines include Air France, Air Transat, Centralwings, Delta Airlines and US Airways. Chartered flights to popular tourist destinations from Shannon Airport operate throughout the year.

By bus

Bus Eireann [10] operates a comprehensive network of bus service to and from destinations in County Clare. Independent operators, like Lyons Travel, also offer direct routes to and from County Clare for the major towns and cities nationwide.

By rail

The western rail corridor is now open, so rail services have been restored between Clare and Galway. A new rail link [11] between Ennis and Limerick is now up and running.

By boat

There is a ferry service from Tarbert, County Kerry to Killimer every half hour. This cuts out the need to travel through Limerick City to get into Clare, if you are coming from the south of Ireland.

Get around

Towns in the county are served by irregular bus services, so the best way to see the scenery and tour is by car.

Car rental

The main location for car rentals in County Clare is Shannon Airport.

See

• The Cliffs of Moher and Doolin village
• Cliffs and rock formations all along the coast
• Craggaunowen castle, Bronze Age village, ring fort and "Brendan´s Boat"
• 'Ailwee Caves' situated in the Burren region. Co-located [12]Birds of Prey Centre
• 'Burren Caherconnell Stone Fort' an ancient Celtic ringfort in the heart of the Burren

Do

• Bunratty Castle and Knappogue Castle both host medieval banquets twice nightly in the summer.

• The Willie Clancy Summer School takes place on the first weekend in July every year in Miltown Malbay. Students of all ages and nationalities gather to learn traditional Irish music from noted musicians during the day and the town's pubs host their efforts at nighttime. Concerts are also held throughout the week of activities.

• Take the Cliffs of Moher cruise, [1]. to view the Cliffs from sea level. Cliffs and Aran Cruises [2] also runs a passenger ferry service to the Aran Islands.  edit

• Language Travel Ireland, [3]. Learn English on a farm in Co. Clare in the West of Ireland. Experience life on a farm, get involved in the farm activities, enjoy the home cooking, fresh air and beautiful countryside of County Clare. Learn English in Ireland by living in on a real Irish farm.  edit

• Dolphinwatch Carrigaholt, [4]. Go dolphin watching from Carrigaholt pier and see the mouth of the Shannon Estuary  edit

• Leave your car and attempt some of the Mid Clare Way. . This marked long distance walking route makes a circuit of the region surrounding the county town of Ennis. It is 139kms in length but broken up into managable segments.  edit

Eat

Locally produced products are easy to find in the local supermarkets. Sausages, breads (particularly soda), jams and many other local delights are readily available, with the local traders willing to help you find what you want.

• Clare Ecolodge[13], located in Feakle village in East Clare offers traditional Irish food.

Drink

Clare has more than its fair share of unique and distinctive pubs that cater to all tastes; traditional and modern. Famous for traditional Irish music, drinking stout or Irish whiskey to the strains of reels and jigs is a regular experience.

Gus O'Connor's Pub and McGann's Pub, both in Doolin, are especially famous for their Irish music.

• Biddy Early's Brewery[14], located in Inagh village, should be visited to taste locally brewed stout ("Black Biddy") and lager ("Blond Biddy").

Get out

Take the commuter ferry across the Shannon estuary into County Limerick for a day trip. The journey takes about half an hour. Galway City, with good shopping facilities, and County Galway are also within driving distance, as is Limerick City.

Boat trips to the Aran Islands can be arranged from Doolin pier.

This is a usable article. It gives a good overview of the region, its sights, and how to get in, as well as links to the main destinations, whose articles are similarly well developed. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!