Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Tourism spots pack Shannon airport area
Here are seven great spots easily reachable from Shannon International Airport, all in County Clare and Limerick.
Cliffs of Moher: Ireland’s most visited natural sight. Soaring 702 feet above the crashing sea, the cliffs stand sentinel for 5 miles. The interesting visitors center is built into the hillside and is nearly invisible from the outside. cliffsofmoher.ie.
Ennis: Old market town with winding, photogenic streets, just 20 minutes from the airport. Good base for exploring the region. County seat of Clare. visitennis.com.
Bunratty Castle and Folk Park: Featuring a 15th-century Medieval Banquet with wenches and an Irish Night with step dancers, the castle dinners play into tourist expectations — but it is fun, and the folk park with its historic cottages is an authentic window into Ireland’s past. shannonheritage.com. Doolin (and Aran Islands): Wonderful hiking along this coast; lots of castle ruins and sweeping vistas. Cute village. The ferry to Ireland’s Aran Islands leaves from here. doolin-tourism.com.
Lahinch to Kilkee and Loop Head Peninsula: Lahinch is a golfing mecca, and you can see its famous links course right next to the road if you are not lucky enough to play it. Kilkee is an old-fashioned Victorian seaside town, and the Loop Head Lighthouse is the farthest point west in Clare. loophead.ie.
Lisdoonvarna and the Burren: This normally quiet town is known for its boisterous matchmaking festival each fall, and it’s a gateway to the Burren — the wildest part of Clare, with distinctive limestone rock covering mountains and valleys in lumps and knobs. www.burrennationalpark.ie.
King John’s Castle and the Hunt Museum, Limerick: King John is cast as the villain in Robin Hood, but that was the least of his problems. Great new high-tech visitors center helps you understand the bloody history of this part of Ireland. Stop at the nearby Hunt Museum to see archaeological treasures; I liked the bronze-age pots from 800 B.C. dug up in Ireland best. shannonheritage.com and huntmuseum.com.
— Ellen Creager