County-Clare Travel Guide
Clare's chief town (Ennis) is 67km (42 miles) S of Galway, 27km (17miles) NW of Shannon Airport, 37km (23 miles) NW of Limerick, 235km (147 miles) SW of Dublin, and 133km (83 miles) NW of Cork
After stepping off the plane at Shannon, your first sight of Ireland will be the vistas of County Clare: rich green fields and rolling hills joined by the meandering Shannon River. If you turn left off the main road, the barren, rocky Atlantic coast awaits you; if you continue north, you'll be heading into the historic market town of Ennis and then to the Burren -- rocky plains of karst limestone.
Among the counties of Ireland, Clare is not a major celebrity on the tourist trail. This isn't just a pity, it's a mystery. (The Irish, for their part, have always been smitten.) Though less dramatic and less touristy than its neighbors, Kerry and Galway, Clare boasts a dazzling coast, including the take-your-breath-away Cliffs of Moher and the darling seaside summer resorts of Lahinch and Kilkee. The county is a hotbed for traditional music, especially in the charming villages of Doolin, Miltown Malby, Fanore, and Ennistymon. It's the proud heir to a number of impressive ancient sites and monuments, from the Poulnabrone Dolmen to Bunratty Castle, with its better-than-you-would-think folk park. The Burren's magnificent lunarlike landscape, with its turloughs (limestone-bedded lakes that take on water after rainfall, then dry up again), wildflowers, and butterflies, and the birds of the cliffs from Hag's Head to Loop Head all contribute to Clare's appeal.
