Local Attractions
There are a vast number of attractions to visit in the local region. Whether you want to join a medieval banquest at Bunnratty Castle or explore the spectacular sights of the Cliffs of Moher, Count Clare has something for you.
Bunratty Castle & Folk Park
Bunratty Castle & Folk Park are listed within the top 10 visitor attractions in Ireland. A visit to the castle, built in 1425 and plundered on many occasions, is the most complete and authentic medieval fortress in Ireland while the absorbing folk park is a wonderful experience for all the family.
The majestic castle was restored in 1954 to its former medieval splendour. It now contains mainly 15th and 16th century furnishings, tapestries and works of art, which capture the mood of the times. You can marvel at the finest collection of medieval furniture in the country which brings to life a vital part of the Celtic past and the heritage of Co. Clare.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, it was an important stronghold of the O'Briens, kings and later earls of Thomond or North Munster.
The main block has three floors, each consisting of a great room or hall. The four towers have six stories each.
Cliffs of Moher and O'Brien's Tower
Just north of Lahinch, on the coast of West Clare, are the famous Cliffs of Moher, defiantly standing as giant natural ramparts against the aggressive might of the Atlantic Ocean. They rise in places to over 215 metres (700 feet) and stretch for almost 8km.
O'Brien's Tower which was constructed in the early 19th century by Cornelius O'Brien, a descendant of Brian Boru, the High King of Ireland, and the O'Briens of Bunratty Castle, Kings of Thomond, as a viewing point for Victorian tourists is located on Moher's cliffs, which are the highest in Europe. From this vantage point one can see the Aran Islands and Galway Bay, as well as the Twelve Pins and the Maum Turk Mountains to the north in Connemarea and Loop Head to the south. Facilities at the Cliffs include an ample car park, visitor's centre and craft shop. The Cliffs are one of Irelands top tourist attractions. These natural wonders put on a dramatic display of crashing waves against sturdy rock.
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Craggaunowen - A window on the Past
Craggaunowen, the living past experience, is Ireland's original award winning Prehistoric Park. Situated on 50 acres of wooded grounds, the Park interprets Ireland's pre-historic and early Christian eras.
It features a stunning recreation of some of the homesteads, animals and artefacts which existed in Ireland over 1,000 years ago.
These include:
A Ringfort - the typical residence of Celtic farmers in the Iron Age
A Dolmen - one of the earliest Stone Age tomb types
Fulacht Fia - the field kitchen of the Fianna, the legendary soldiers of the High Kings of Ireland
A Togher - a portion of an Iron Age roadway dating back to 148 BC
A Crannog - Under construction will be the artificially constructed lake island dwelling, home of the Bronze Age Chieftans
The 'Brendan' - the leather-hulled vessel built by Tim Severin and sailed by him and his crew across the Atlantic in the mid-1970s to prove that it was possible for early-Christian monks from Ireland to have reached America in the 7th Century
Rare Animal Breeds - including the Wild Boar
Craggaunowen Castle - overlooking all is Craggaunowen Castle built by John MacSioda MacNamara around 1550
Clare Heritage Centre and Genealogical Centre - Corofin
The award winning Heritage Museum is housed in what was once St. Catherine's Church, which was built in 1718 by a first cousin of Queen Anne. Its main theme, 'Ireland West 1800-1860' portrays a traumatic period for Irish history under such headings as 'Land Tenure,' 'The Famine,' 'Emigration,' 'Education,' 'Irish Language and Music' etc. The circumstances that moulded the character of the people over one hundred years ago are interpreted in an absorbing story.
Nearby, the Genealogical Research Centre was founded in 1982 by the late Dr.Ignatius Cleary and is now widely recognised as the leading centre of its kind in the country. The centre houses the most comprehensive research material held at any one location to enable persons with Clare roots to trace their ancestry. The Centre holds data on 47 Parish Registers, and over 500,000 people who were born in this country during the 19th Century.
The Burren - North West Clare
The north-western corner of County Clare, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and the quieter waters of Galway Bay, is a rock garden of no ordinary proportions. The Burren extends over more than a hundred square miles and most of it is bare, pale grey limestone. If there were nothing but rock, a tour might become tedious, if spectacular for a while. But big or small patches of green pasture or little pieces of hazel woodland enliven the rock contours. On the pasture, and in the many crevices in the pavement of rocks, there are countless wild flowers so that the region is a mass of colour. Besides all this, it is mountainous, has wonderful seashore and is literally scattered with the monuments created by its human inhabitants in the course of six thousand years. At its best on a sunny day in May when the greatest numbers of wild flowers are in bloom, the Burren is unique and worth a visit any time of year. Stone Age tombs and ceremonial places are liberally scattered throughout the Burren, memorials to a distant time when it supported a wealthy farming community. Poulnabrone dolmen is one of the finest and it features on more postcards than almost any other Irish monument. It resembles a huge table, built from a great slab of limestone resting on two long flagstones. Excavations in the 1980's showed that people had been buried beneath it more than five thousand years ago. A few miles to the south of Poulnabrone the ruins of Lemaneh Castle stand by the roadside. A combination of a 15th century fortified tower and a Tudor mansion, it was the home of the redoubtable Maire Ruadh O'Brien tin the turbulent days of the 17th century. Her descendants agree with serious historians that she never threw her third husband out of one of the beautiful windows - but it was a good story, nonetheless. The stone plateau of the Cathair presents concentric rings of great stone walls whose outer defence is the precipitous wall of a deep chasm. People lived there in security in the Iron Age. Now it is a place for meditation, the ground carpeted with mosses and exquisite star like flowers of rare saxifrages. One of the delights of the Burren is the Cistercian Abbey of Corcomroe, beautifully titled 'St. Mary's of the Fertile Rock.' The chancel area (around the altar) of Corcomroe has some of the finest stone carving in Ireland. The O'Briens, Kings of Thomond, founded it in 1195 on land that they wished to annex.
Burren Smokehouse
Learn about how to smoke salmon, see a demonstration kiln and look at the oak shavings used to produce Smoked Salmon from the Burren. Enjoy a unique series of mosaics about the ancient Legend - The Salmon of Knowledge and look at the biggest wild salmon that was ever caught for this smokehouse.
The Gourmet shop on site holds an impressive selection of locally produced gourmet foods that can be sent all over the world with their mail order service.
The Burren Perfumery and Floral Centre
Ireland's first perfumery is situated in the heart of the Burren and is a family run business. Each of the Perfumery's products is hand produced using the highest quality pure natural essences, plant extracts and pure Irish spring water. All processes at the Perfumery start with the initial harvesting of the plants. The plants are organic and non-organic, wild and cultivated from the Perfumery's own herb garden and surrounding countryside and collected from growers throughout Ireland and Europe. All of the Burren Perfumery's fragrances are carefully blended to capture the mystery of Ireland and the purity of the Burren combined. The Perfumery's visitors centre has a unique photographic exhibition and outstanding audio-visual presentation. Their organic herb garden has a huge variety of organic native and cultivated plants. You can still see natural essential oils being extracted and blended using the traditional still. Soap making and the various natural processes used to create their products. All of their products are on display and available to sample and purchase in their showroom.
Aillwee Cave - Ballyvaughan
A visit to Aillwee Cave is an absolute must for any visitor to the county. The caves represent a dramatic spectacle of nature. Located on the edge of the Burren country, it extends over 1.3 kilometres into the heart of the mountain. Guided tours will take you through beautifully lit caverns featuring stalactites, stalagmites, over bridged chasms, under weird formations and alongside the thunderous subterranean waterfall. You will be astounded with the sight of a frozen waterfall and fascinated to explore the hibernation chambers of long extinct brown bears. After you have viewed these wonders you can browse through an award-winning complex of craft shops and then relax in their friendly tea-room and savour the home-made produce like cheese and honey that is on offer. You can even sample a glass of wine on their terrace while enjoying beautiful views of Galway Bay. An experience not to be missed.
Vandeleur Walled Garden - Kilrush
Beautifully constructed walls enclose this sheltered Walled Garden which is set among 420 aces of native woodland. Once the walled garden for Kilrush House but forgotten for many years, restoration work began in 1977. It has been redesigned for the 21st century around the old path system and specialises in many unusual and tender plants that thrive in the areas temperate climate. Take time out to stroll around the garden and woodland trails or just laze by the river. The centre portion contains the nucleus of a plant collection while other aspects include a tree collection, horizontal maze and unusual water features.
Kilkee Waterworld
Treat the whole family, young of old to a splashing great day out in Kilkee's Waterworld.
An aqua play centre boasting a range of fun features atmosphere. Geysers and gushers, bubbles and whirls mean all the family enjoys Waterworld. The thrill of the slide or our lazy river ride will leave the whole family in a sea of smiles.
The indoor complex features - a bubble pool - a Crystal Tower slide 61m - Tommy Turtle's play pool - Shower geyser's and gushers - the lazy River Ride - Bubble jet massage lounger - and a Beach Pool.