County Clare combines spectacular windswept landscapes and vibrant Irish culture. It also contains The Burren, a unique karst region, which contains rare flowers and fauna.
The small town of Lahinch, on protected Liscannor Bay, is becoming one of the epicentres of Ireland’s burgeoning surfing scene.
Spanish Point is a village on the west coast, also known as a good spot for surfing in County Clare. The name refers to the wrecking of some ships of the Spanish Armada (1588) off the coast. The village’s beach is also popular with swimmers and water enthusiasts...even though the ocean is darn chilly!! I’m not sure how they do it - I ventured in to just over my knees and by then my feet were totally numb.
Ruins of the Atlantic Hotel, built in 1809 are still visible here at Spanish Point. It offered tepid sea water baths to clients and was the largest hotel in the British Isles for a time.
Ennis is the commercial hub for County Clare. The town’s medieval origins are recalled by its irregular, narrow streets...although much of the original wooden town went skyward in a 1249 fire.
In the public parking lot you can still see the old horse hitching posts
Perched on a soaring column, a statue of Daniel O’Connell (aka the ‘Great Liberator’) presides over the main square in the town. O’Connell’s election to the British parliament by a huge majority in 1828 forced Britain to lift its ban on Catholic MPs and led to the Act of Catholic Emancipation a year later.
Ennis Cathedral was consecrated in 1843, its tower and spire were added in 1894, and it was elevated to the status of a cathedral in 1990.
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