County Clare

Ennis is the county town of Clare and always pleasantly busy. It takes its name from the Irish word “inis” (island) as it is virtually surrounded by the River Fergus on which it sits. Its streets are narrow and attractive, some of them pedestrianised , and it is worth stopping here for at least a few hours. Many people come here for traditional music, and every May the town hosts Fleadh Nua, an international celebration of Irish culture, while in November, the Ennis Trad Festival is held.

The county is closely associated with Daniel O’Connell, who was elected as its Member of Parliament, leading to Catholic Emancipation in 1829 – and later earning Clare the name “ Banner County ” from the banners carried during rallies and meetings. A monument to O’Connell dominates the narrow main street named after him.

Ennis has been multicultural for decades, more so than most Irish towns, as refugees from Cuba arrived at Shannon , having gotten off flights to the USSR . They’ve been joined by every nationality in recent years, and that’s reflected in the range of shops and restaurants, as well as the faces you see on its streets.

The Friary at the bottom of Abbey Street , was founded by the O’Briens in the 13th century. Many of its original features survive and it’s well worth visiting.

South of Ennis on the N18 to Limerick is Bunratty Castle and Folk Park . It’s high on the list of top visitor attractions, but don’t worry – that doesn’t mean it’s crowded, as the site is big enough to absorb a lot of people. If you know little about Ireland , go there at the beginning of your vacation as it gives you a good idea of how we lived in earlier times.

Entire houses of various sizes and dates have been taken apart stone-by-stone and reassembled here, along with a school, a pub, a church, a row of shops, and other buildings.

What makes it especially enjoyable is watching activities, including scones and bread being made, as well as work being carried out in the little fields. Chat with the staff; they are very friendly and informative.

Bunratty Castle overlooks the river Shannon . Once the stronghold of the O’Briens, kings and later earls of Thomond, it reflects their style and power. Its Great Hall has a very fine collection of 14th-century furniture, paintings and wall hangings and also hosts medieval banquets which anyone can attend with plenty of entertainment as well as food and drink.

Near Quin is Craggaunowen, one of my favorite places to visit. It’s a re-creation of how the Irish lived in previous centuries, with a crannóg (lake dwelling), ring fort, souterrain or underground dwelling, all around the castle, built in 1550. The castle has wonderful European wood carvings. It all nestles in quiet countryside. The late John Hunt and his wife Gertrude bought the land, restored the castle and generously handed the project over to the State. Their collection is now shown at the Hunt Museum in Limerick.

Even if you’re not interested in history, you’d enjoy a stroll here, looking at animals including wild boar and Soya sheep, species bred in pre-historic times. The Celts were great seafarers, and St. Brendan the Navigator may have discovered America before Columbus . Tim Severin, a contemporary adventurer, built a replica of Brendan’s leather-hulled boat, which he sailed to Greenland ; it’s displayed here.

Also near Quin is Knappogue Castle , built by the Macnamaras in 1467. They owned it until 1815, apart from when Cromwell used it as his headquarters and thus saved it from the destruction he wreaked elsewhere. Much enlarged in the 19th century, it was used in 1921 as a secret meeting place by the Republican Clare County Council. It had become a ruin by 1966, when it was bought and restored by Mr. and Mrs. Andrews of Houston , Texas . It’s been open to the public since 1969.

The Cliffs of Moher are one of the most outstanding coastal features of Ireland . They rise from Doolin and ascend to over 700 feet (213 meters) just three miles south of the village. Being almost vertical, their sheer drop into the Atlantic ocean is a haven for sea birds and the view from the top is truly spectacular. On a clear day, you can view the Aran Islands in Galway Bay and the hills and valley of the Burren.

At the top of the walk up to the Cliffs is O'Brian's Tower, a tower built in 1835 by Cornelius O' Brien to impress female visitors. The tower is on the highest cliff and from here the most impressive view of the cliffs and surrounding area can be seen. It is advisable to dress warm when visiting the cliffs, as the winds coming off of the Atlantic are quite cold even on the best of days.

Doolin, which lies just north of Cliffs of Moher, has long been regarded the home of traditional Irish music in the west of Ireland . The Russell Brothers, Micho, Pakie and Gussie, played a major role in putting Doolin on the music map. By the 1960s their names, and that of Gussie O'Connor, were synonymous with Irish music and song at Doolin.

With the increasing popularity of Irish music, international visitors started to visit Doolin from 1970 onwards. You are likely to come across a music session in one of Doolin's three pubs at any time of year. For the traditional music fan all roads lead to this sleepy little village on the Atlantic Coastline.

The Burren takes its name from “boireann” in Irish, meaning rocky place, and resembles a lunar landscape. It covers over 100 square miles (260 square km), part of it a National Park. It’s a truly remarkable area, which attracts visitors for many reasons including its unique flora and its archaeological sites. It’s a great area for walking and cycling. Its northern shoreline is starkly beautiful, with gray limestone hills stretching to the blue water of the Atlantic , and inland it’s like a giant rock garden, with Arctic, Alpine and Mediterranean plants flourishing together in fertile patches between limestone fissures. It’s littered with dolmens, burial chambers and other fascinating archaeological sites, among them the Poulnabrone Dolmen.

Poulnabrone Dolmen or Portal tomb in the Burren, is one of the finest examples of Portal Tombs in Ireland . Portal Tombs were the ancient burial grounds in times long gone. These tombs usually have two imposing portals or entrance stones flanking the front of a relatively small rectangular chamber. The capstone, which sometimes rests just on the end stone and on the portal stones, is often very large.

Poulnabrone meaning "The Hole of the Sorrows" was excavated in 1968 and was found to contain the remains of 22 burials spread over a period of 600 years including 6 juveniles and a newborn baby. Radiocarbon dating suggests that this tomb is roughly around 6,000 years old.

Located 3 miles (5km) south of Ballyvaughan is the Aillwee Cave system. It was carved out by meltwaters about two million years ago. The extensive limestone cave system is typical of the kind that can be found throughout the Burren region. The caves are thought to have been used for hibernation by the brown bear - the remains of one brown bear were found within the system. Bears have been extinct in Ireland for thousands of years so you can imagine this find caused some excitement!

The caves were discovered by a local farmer in 1944 whose dog had disappeared and was then found inside the cave entrance, which must have been covered for a millennia. The caves are now open to the public and contain numerous calcite formations, including stalactites and stalagmites, some of which date from 5,000 years ago.

For the very energetic, a walk up the nearby Aillwee Mountain is well worth the effort. Your reward will be witness to perhaps the most spectacular views in Ireland of Galway Bay, over to the Maam Mountains and beyond.

Killaloe is a delightful little town on the Shannon at the southernmost tip of Lough Derg in East Clare, with the Bernagh Mountains behind it. It’s the perfect destination if you’re interested in water-based activities, such as fishing, cruising, boating, sailing, swimming, wind-sailing and water-skiing. Its history is also fascinating, as it was the birthplace of Brian Boru (940-1014), High King of Ireland, who subdued the Vikings and whose O’Brien clan dominated this part of the country as Kings of Thomond.

The town was one of the most powerful religious and political centers in the early medieval period. St. Flannan’s Cathedral, with its beautiful Romanesque doorway and two oratories, dates from the 13th century. It’s the center of a Music Festival each year when leading classical musicians come to perform here from all over the world.

The Killaloe Heritage Centre, run by Shannon Heritage, explores Celtic Ireland, the arrival of Christianity and the monastic tradition, as well as the development of the Shannon River as a transport system.

You cross a 13-arch bridge to Ballina on the Tipperary side of the river, which is so close that it’s hard to distinguish between the two towns.