Walks
Surfing & Bathing
Rock climbing
Horse Riding
Poulnabrone Dolmen
Aillwee Caves
Cliffs of Moher
Aran Islands
Doolin
Dromore Woods
Franciscan Friary Ennis
Lisdoonvarna Spa Wells
Medieval Banquets
Heritage
More things to see
Walks
The Burren, from the Gaelic word Boireann is an area of limestone rock covering imposing majestic mountains, and tranquil valleys with gently meandering streams. With its innate sense of spiritual peace, extraordinary array of flora and wildlife, and megalithic tombs and monuments older than Egypt's pyramids, the Burren creates a tapestry of colour and a seductively magical aura which few people leave without wanting to experience again.
We can suggest numerous walking routes within the locality for all levels to enjoy the breathtaking scenery.
The name Burrenbeo loosely translates as 'Burren alive' or 'The living Burren', and was chosen to reflect the life that exists in what is sometimes mistakenly referred to as a barren wilderness. Burrenbeo.com hopes to bring the Burren to life for the interested visitor through the provision of thorough, well-researched information presented in an accessible, colourful and entertaining format.
www.ballyvaughanfanorewalkingclub.com
www.burrenpeakswalkingfestival.com
www.walkersassociation.ie/challenge/walk/calendar
Experience a journey through time on our Guided Walking Tours through the winding streets of medieval Ennis! Hear tales of murders and hangings, famine and poverty, rebellions and riots. Learn about the mythology and legends of the town - from banshees to Biddy Early.
Discover how the most powerful men from Irelands past were closely linked to the town - along with the intriguing stories and characters that shaped its history.
Get a taste of the local passion for hurling and traditional music and finish the tour in the comfortable setting of a local pub. www.enniswalkingtours.com/
For the adventurous among you we have a special treat. We have a guided walking tour from Doolin village along by the Cliffs of Moher which will take you to the visitors centre and Hags Head. The tour will take about 4 hours and it’s recommended that you bring a picnic. We can only take four/five people at a time on this route and the cost is €10 per person. The day and time can be arranged to suit you.
Surfing & Bathing
Just minutes away is Fanore Beach with it's golden sand and crashing waves.
https://www.surfschool.tv/
Lahinch (30 Minute Drive)
https://www.lahinchsurfschool.com/
Cliffs of Moher
Travel Time: 25 minutes
Trip Time: Open
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 metres) just three miles south of the village. Being almost vertical, their sheer drop into the heaving Atlantic ocean is a haven for sea birds and the view from the top is never tiresome. Both the visitor's centre and O'Briens tower monument are open all year round. The truly spectacular drive along the coast road between the cliffs of Moher and Doolin (just off the N478) is one you'll surely never forget. A fine visitor centre will guide you through what to expect there. From personal experience, seeing the puffins, fulmers, gillamots and other sea birds nesting a living in this precarious environment is fascinating.
Cost: Use of the car park is approximately €6 for the duration of your visit to the cliffs. Free access if you neither use the parking nor any of the facilities.
www.cliffsofmoher.ie/Facilities/VisitorParking.aspx?rowid=6693
Cliffs of Moher Cruise
Travel Time: 10 minutes drive to Doolin Pier
The Cliffs of Moher Cruise is one of the more enjoyable, enriching, and fulfilling experience you will find on the Irish coastline. [Photos]
Operators and Schedules:
https://www.cliffs-of-moher-cruises.com/cliffsofmoher.html
Approximately €20
Tickets may be pre-booked or purchased at the pier
Aran Islands
www.aranislandferries.com
Travel Distance: from Fanore to Doolin 13.3km
Trip Time: from Doolin Ferry to:Inis Óirr (Inisheer) 30 minutes.
Inis Meáin (Inishmaan) 40 minutes.
Inis Mór (Inishmore) 90 minutes. (Approx)
Rock Climbing
The Clare coast line is ideal for a variety of enjoyable climbing challenges.
https://www.bensrockclimbingclinic.com/
Horse Riding
Burren Riding Centre is beautifully located on an elevated site, on the edge of the 'Burren', overlooking Galway Bay, on the coast road between Ballyvaughan and Lisdoonvarna.
The centre offers; weeklong, 3-day and daily trail rides along the 'Green Roads' in the magnificent surroundings of the Burren area of north Clare.
Franciscan Friary Ennis
This 13th century Franciscan Friary, founded by the O'Briens, has numerous 15/16th century sculptures carved in the local hard limestone. The visitor can see the figure of St. Francis displaying the stigmata, an elaborately ornamented screen, a representation of the Virgin and Child and the Ecce Homo. The Chancel is lit by the magnificent East Window. On the North side is the beautifully carved McMahon tomb.
www.franciscans.ie
Doolin (10 minute Drive)
Located near the coastal village of Doolin, you can hear traditional music through the summer months in all of the local pubs. These lively places are a real treat and a place you will certainly experience the 'real' Ireland.
Doolin Caves
www.doolincave.ie/
Aillwee Caves
This stunning creation of nature was formed by the melt waters of a prehistoric ice age. The Alwee Cave, carved out of limestone, cuts into the heart of the mountain. For the very energetic, a walk up Aillwee Mountain is well worth the effort and will reveal perhaps the most spectacular views in Ireland of Galway Bay, over to the Maam Mountains and beyond.
www.aillweecave.ie
Dromore Nature Reserve
An area of approximately 400 hectares (1,000) acres), Dromore was established as a nature reserve because of the diversity and richness of its flora and fauna. This richness comes from the fact that it has many different habitat types. These include a river, lakes, turloughs, callows (flodded meadows), limestone pavement, fen peat, reed beds and species-rich woodland.
Spa Wells Lisdoonvarna
Visit Lisdoonvarna Spa Wells Centre and enjoy the truly unique experience of a sulphur bath in our old-world Bath House-the only victorian bathhouse in Ireland. Visit the Pump Room and taste the sulphur waters - you will feel their cleansing powers immediately. Pamper yourself with a range of treatments and then relax in the peaceful, lush gardens by the Aille River. Open June - September inclusive. Other attractions include the Heritage Trail and the Burren Painting Centre
Some other interesting things to visit...
Burren Centre, Kilfenora
Burren Smokehouse, Lisdoonvarna
Burren Perfumery, Carron
Medieval Banquets in Clare Castles
Knappogue Castle Medieval Banquet, Quin Co Clare
Traditional Irish Night at Bunratty Folk Park Co. Clare
Bunratty Castle Medieval Banquet Bunratty Co. Clare
Dunguaire Castle Banquet, Kinvara Co Galway
Heritage
Bunratty Castle & Folk Park
Bunratty (Bun Raite) Castle overlooks the River Shannon. The castle is in excellent condition and well worth the visit, but it's a prime tourist attraction and besieged by tour buses. With the Folk Park and Durty Nelly's pub nearby, the area is starting to resemble a medieval theme park, but the historical reality shouldn't be mistaken for a Disney world creation. Durty Nelly's pub, about 75 feet from the castle, will surely ruin any good photograph of the castle, but it does serve some excellent food in the dining area.
www.shannonheritage.com/Attractions/BunrattyCastleandFolkPark
Brian Boru Heritage Centre Killaloe Co. Clare
Craggaunowen Quin Co Clare Dunguaire Castle Kinvarra Co Galway
King John's Castle Limerick City Lough Gur Kilmallock Co.Limerick
Knappogue Castle & Walled Garden Quin Co Clare
Special Offers are available for:
Castle Banquets, Traditional Irish Nights, Joint Tickets to Bunratty Castle & Folk Park & The Cliffs of Moher
Visit Bunratty Castle & Folk Park & Cliffs of Moher all for just €12.00 per adult & €10.00 per child.
Lemaneagh Castle
Lemaneagh Castle is a fortified manor house on the crossroads of Corofin and Kilfenora in County Clare.
Located in an area know as the known as the Burren, Lemaneagh Castle is actually 2 structures combined. The oldest part on the east end is a five story tower from the late 15th Century. (1480) The tower features narrow windows, several small chambers and a spiral stairway.
Lemaneagh manor house rises 4 gabled stories above the countryside and features rows of large stone window frames. The major part of the structure dates from the the 1630s and is thought to have been built on the foundation of an earlier hall. The impressive structure houses the kitchens and work areas on the ground floor with the main living
www.of-ireland.info/castles/lemaneagh.html
Poulnabrone Dolmen and other sites of historic interest in the Burren
www.megalithicireland.com/Poulnabrone.htm
+Midden
A midden, (also kitchen midden or shell heap) is an old dump for domestic waste which may consist of animal bone, human excrement, botanical material, vermin, shells, sherds, lithics (especially debitage), and other artifacts and ecofacts associated with past human occupation. The word is of Scandinavian via Middle English derivation, but is used by archaeologists worldwide to describe any kind of feature containing waste products relating to day-to-day human life. They may be convenient, single-use pits created by nomadic groups or long-term, designated dumps used by sedentary communities that accumulate over several generations
6,000-year-old shellfish cooker found on beach in Fanore.
Archeologists in the Burren have uncovered one of the oldest records of human inhabitance ever unearthed in Ireland.
Radiocarbon dating of a shellfish midden, located on Fanore Beach in north Clare, have revealed it to be at least 6,000 years old -- hundreds of years older than the nearby Poulnabrone dolmen.
The midden, which is a cooking area where nomad hunter-gatherers boiled or roasted shellfish, contained a number of Stoneage implements including two axes and a number of smaller stone tools.
Excavation of the site has also revealed a mysterious black layer of organic material, which archeologists believe may be the results of a Stoneage tsunami which hit the west Clare coast, possibly wiping out the people who used the midden.