County Clare

Traditional music runs the evenings from Ennis to Doolin, and the days belong to the coast: the Cliffs of Moher and the limestone Burren behind them.

County Clare facts

Province: Munster
County town: Ennis
Setting: Atlantic coast
Touring region: Wild Atlantic Way
Best for: coast, music, scenic drives, hiking, history
Golf: Lahinch and Doonbeg on the Atlantic coast. Our golf guide
Places in the planner: 6

Two landscapes define the place: the Burren's limestone in the north, and the Atlantic coast running from Galway Bay to the Shannon Estuary. In the north, the Burren's limestone pavements shelter rare wildflowers and ancient tombs; along the west coast, the Cliffs of Moher rise sheer above the ocean.

Clare is also one of the great counties for traditional Irish music, with sessions in Ennis, Miltown Malbay and Doolin part of everyday life. Surf towns, ferry trips to the Aran Islands, castles and the Shannon's broad estuary complete a county that rewards taking the coast road slowly. The Shannon Estuary adds another side again, with dolphin trips from Carrigaholt and Kilrush and the ferry across to Kerry. Clare works equally well as a base for Galway Bay and the Aran Islands or as a touring county in its own right.

Top sights in Clare

Cliffs of Moher

Sea cliffs rising over 200 metres above the Atlantic, among Ireland's best-known natural landmarks.

The Burren

A limestone plateau of pavements, rare flowers, caves and prehistoric monuments.

Doolin and the Aran Islands

The village of Doolin is a traditional-music hub and a ferry point for the Aran Islands.

Bunratty Castle and Folk Park

A restored 15th-century castle with a folk park recreating 19th-century Irish life.

Aillwee Cave

A show cave beneath the Burren with underground passages and a birds-of-prey centre.

Towns & cities in Clare

Ennis

Come for the music: sessions run in the pubs most nights, and the town has built its name on them. Ennis is the county town of County Clare.

Kilkee

A seaside resort on Moore Bay in west Clare, built for Atlantic weather and family summers by the water.

Lahinch

Surf and seaside town on Liscannor Bay, gateway to the cliffs.

Kilrush

Heritage town on the Shannon Estuary, departure point for dolphin trips.

Doolin

Small coastal village known worldwide for traditional music sessions.

Best time to visit

May to September offers the best chance of clear views from the cliffs and Burren flowers in late spring. Winter brings dramatic seas and quieter roads, with music year-round.

Getting there

Shannon Airport lies just south of the county in the Shannon region and serves Clare directly. Ennis is about two and a half hours from Dublin by motorway.

Places for your trip

Ennis: Come for the music: sessions run in the pubs most nights, and the town has built its name on them. Ennis is the county town of County Clare.
Cliffs of Moher: The Cliffs of Moher are sea cliffs rising up to 214 metres above the Atlantic on the Clare coast.
The Burren: Limestone pavement runs to the sea in north Clare, with rare flowers in the cracks and ancient monuments on the hills. The Burren is a karst landscape unlike anywhere else in Ireland.
Bunratty Castle: A 15th-century tower house kept as its lords would have known it, with a folk park of traditional buildings beside it. Bunratty Castle stands in County Clare.
Kilkee: A seaside resort on Moore Bay in west Clare, built for Atlantic weather and family summers by the water.
Lahinch: The Old Course at Lahinch: Alister MacKenzie over an Old Tom Morris original, with the Klondyke and the Dell.

What's on

Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival

1–30 Sep 2027 · Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare

A whole month of music, dancing and matchmaking in the Clare spa town: the famous festival that has paired people off since the days of the harvest fairs.

Official site

All events in this county

What we would choose ourselves

The Cliffs of Moher, County Clare

Cliffs & coastal tours

Dublin to Cliffs of Moher, including Wild Atlantic Way and Galway (Wild Rover Tours)

The Cliffs of Moher are the one sight nearly every first trip to Ireland is built around, and this is the day trip we point people to. It runs about thirteen hours from Dublin, out along the Wild Atlantic Way to the cliffs, then into Galway for a couple of hours on the cobbled streets before the run home. It leaves from College Green in the city centre. The numbers are hard to argue with: from US$88.21 a head, rated 4.9 from nearly 24,900 reviews, the largest count of any cliffs tour on Viator, with free cancellation up to a day ahead.

Best for: Anyone whose trip is built around the cliffs and who would rather not hire a car. It is a long coach day of about thirteen hours, so travellers who like to set their own pace may prefer to drive the coast themselves.

See it on Viator

Inis Oírr (Inisheer), the Aran Islands

Wild Atlantic Way tours

Galway to Aran Islands (Inisheer), Doolin and Cliffs of Moher Day Tour (Galway Tour Company)

Most people see the Cliffs of Moher from the top. This day out from Galway shows them from the water as well. A coach through the Burren to Doolin, then the express ferry to Inisheer, the smallest of the Aran Islands, with its castle ruin, sunken church and shipwreck. The ferry then runs beneath the cliffs before you finish with an hour at the top and the visitor centre, entry included. It leaves Eyre Square at nine, runs ten and a half hours, from US$91.65 a head, and holds a 4.9 rating from just over 2,000 reviews.

Best for: Travellers already based in Galway who want the islands and the cliffs in one day. The ferry crossing can be lively in bad weather, and the tour is not wheelchair accessible.