County Clare - Towns

The road runs through the southern slopes of the Bernagh mountains emerging at Broadford. Close to the village is picturesque Doon Lake, readily accessible from the road through publicly owned picnic and boating places. It is an execellent lake for fishing. The landscape is well wooded, the woods of Violet Hill to the north of the village deserving particular attention for their mature specimens of beech, oak and other hardwoods. The cluster of thatched cottages here are part of a Rent an Irish Cottage development.

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It is hard to believe, looking at the quiet little village of Bunratty, that under that village, and the surrounding fields, roads and houses, lie buried the remains of a once flourishing town, centuries of settlement, battles, deeds and stories.

Of the glory of those far-off days, what remains is Bunratty Castle, one of the finest tower houses still standing in Ireland, built in 1425 and was authentically restored in 1954.

The castle has had a dramatic and bloody history. Its strategic position on the river Shannon always attracted interest and envy from unfriendly quarters. It changed hands many times, usually violently during the periods of friction between the native Irish of Thomond and the Norman and Norman-Irish intruders. The castle has been destroyed at least eight or nine times and it has seen many bloody murders.

Today, however, there is little evidence of all this death and destruction . The castle stands peacefully in delightful grounds, the houses and cottages of Bunratty Folk Park spread out at the foot of its massive walls, much in the way that cottages and crofts of old would have clustered around its base.

The modern visitor to Bunratty Castle, once the residence of the O'Briens of Thomond, approaches along a section of ancient paved road, across the remains of a moat which once surrounded the castle, and through a door in the 'bawn' wall into the courtyard, before mounting steps to a drawbridge.

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The word Burren means 'great rock' and the region is described by geologists as 'Karst', after a similar tract of country in Slovenia. It is a strange lunar-like region of bare carboniferous limestone, occupying some 100 square miles near the towns of Lahinch, Ballyvaughan, Ennistymon, Corofin and north and north-west of Lisdoonvarna. Below the scarred surface of the Burren is the most remarkable assemblage of diverse types of flora in |reland, and spectacular caves, streams, potholes and 'turloughs' (seasonal lakes).

Poulnabrone Dolmen, a megalithic monument dating from about 2500 b.c., is a noted Burren feature.

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Situated along the western shore of Lough Derg, Caher is a great spot for fishing. There is also a nature reserve nearby. The Slieve Aughty mountains overlook the village to the west.

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Caherconnell is located in an area rich in heritage. There are a number of historic monuments located on the vicinity, these include meaglithic tombs, stone forts and a castle.

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