Page 190 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Ireland

188  IRELAND REGION B Y REGION

Looking south along the Cliffs of Moher, one of the most dramatic stretches of Ireland’s west coast
1 The Burren Environs newer home, Glin Castle. Built
From Kilrush Marina, boats take in 1780, the manor succumbed
See pp190–92. visitors dolphin-spotting – the to the vogue for Gothic
chances of seeing one of the romance in the 1820s, when it
100 bottle-nosed dolphins acquired battlements and
2 Cliffs of Moher identified in the estuary are gingerbread lodges. The castle
Road map B4. Co Clare. @ from high. Boats also run to unin- is currently home to the 29th
Ennis, Galway & Limerick. Visitors’ habited Scattery Island, site of Knight of Glin.
Centre: Tel 065 708 6141. Open daily. a medieval monastery. The ruins
Closed 24–26 Dec. 0 - = & include five churches and one
∑ cliffsofmoher.ie of the tallest round towers 5 Foynes
in the country.
Even when shrouded in mist The Loop Head Drive is a Road map B5. Co Limerick. * 650.
@ from Limerick.
or buffeted by Atlantic gales, 27 km (17 mile) route which
the Cliffs of Moher are breath- begins at the resort of Kilkee, Foynes enjoyed short-lived
taking, rising to a height of west of Kilrush. It winds south fame in the 1930s and 1940s
214- m (690- ft) out of the past dramatic coastal scenery to as the eastern terminus of the
sea and extending for 8 km Loop Head, from where you can first airline passenger route
(5 miles). The sheer rock face, enjoy superb views. across the Atlantic. Foynes
with its layers of black shale Flying Boat and Maritime
and sandstone, provides shel- Museum presents a detailed
tered ledges where guillemots 4 Glin history of the sea plane service.
and other sea birds nest. Road map B5. Co Limerick. * 600. The original Radio and Weather
Well-worn paths lead along @ from Limerick. Rooms have transmitters,
the cliffs. From the Visitors’ receivers and Morse code equip-
Centre, north west of Liscannor, This village on the banks of the ment. There is also a 1940s-style
you can walk south to Hag’s Shannon is the seat of the tea room and a full-sized replica
Head in an hour. To the north, Knights of Glin, a branch of the of a B314 flying boat.
there is a three-hour coastal Fitzgeralds who have lived in the
walk between O’Brien’s Tower – district for seven centuries. Their E Foynes Flying Boat and
a viewing point built for Vict- first medieval castle is a ruin, but Maritime Museum
o rian tourists – and Fisher street west of the village stands their Aras Ide, Foynes. Tel 069 65416.
near Doolin (see p192). Open mid-Mar–mid-Nov: daily. & -
= 7 ∑ flyingboatmuseum.com
3 Kilrush Environs
The historic town of Askeaton,
Road map B4. Co Clare. * 2,800.
@ n Francis St (065 905 1577). 11 km (7 miles) east of Foynes,
Open Jun–Sep. ∑ kilrush.ie has a castle and Franciscan
friary. The friary is particularly
With the addition of a interesting, with a 15th-century
marina and the promotion cloister of black marble. In
of Kilrush as a heritage Rathkeale, 8 km (5 miles) south,
town, the fortunes of this is Castle Matrix, restored15th-
18th-century estate town century tower house renowned
have been greatly revived. for the library in the Great Hall.
Follow the well-marked
walking trail starting from + Castle Matrix
Market Square, which high- Glin Castle, designed in the Gothic romance Rathkeale. Tel 085 730 7760.
lights the town’s historic sights. style, was built in 1780 Open by appointment only. 8
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp299–300 and pp316–18

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