Day Three
Watch the aqua acrobatics from this fine surfing hub, before journeying to a place called Lover's Leap.
Laidback vibes in Lahinch
Boasting a scenic location at the tip of Liscannor Bay, Lahinch is a small and buzzy coastal village that’s a big hit with surfers. Surfing makes for a fascinating spectator sport, so pick your vantage point and watch the thrills on the waves – any time of year. Or perhaps you'd prefer to be on the greens at Lahinch Golf Club, a world-renowned links course that's challenged many a great since opening in the 1890s.
DON’T MISS
Drop into the very friendly Barrtrá Seafood restaurant just outside Lahinch for deliciously fresh fish and shellfish.
Walk on the wild side in Kilkee
A favourite holiday haunt since Victorian times, Kilkee – the gateway to Loop Head – has seen Lord Alfred Tennyson, Charlotte Brontë, Che Guevara, Richard Harris and Russell Crowe all head here to refresh the soul and the spirit. Protected from the full force of the Atlantic by a reef called Duggerna Rock, take a walk on the wild side along the Kilkee Cliff Walk – an exhilarating 8km loop that takes you past natural swimming spots called the Pollock Holes, incredible blow holes along the cliff edges. Stunning.
DON’T MISS
Pop into Murphy Blacks in Kilkee for a great selection of seafood dishes – and to hear the secret of Kilstiffin – a hidden city that appears just once every 100 years!
Feel the power of nature at Loop Head
Follow the one main road, criss-crossed by quiet boreens (narrow country roads), and you're at the place where the sheltered Shannon Estuary meets the Atlantic Ocean. This is Loop Head, where the views stretch out to the Blasket Islands in Kerry, and spotting dolphins, whales, seals and seabirds is commonplace. This is another spot with a World War II relic: large white letters spelling ÉIRE were placed on the peninsula to let pilots know they were entering neutral airspace. Climb to the top of the lighthouse and look down on Ross Beach, where sea urchins, barnacles, limpets, and the beautiful strawberry anemone rest. Nature at its finest.
DON’T MISS
Just past the lighthouse you'll find Lover's Leap – a giant sea stack with an intriguing legend, aptly called Diarmuid and Gráinne’s Rock.
Day Four
Let the Atlantic winds heighten your senses while out at sea with the dolphins, before taking a sip at the home of the Irish Coffee.
Say hello to the dolphins
At the very place where the Shannon River opens into the Atlantic Ocean is Europe's largest group of bottlenose dolphins. A beautiful sight! Take a boat trip with Dolphinwatch at Carrigaholt, and see these wonderful creatures (and perhaps a few grey seals) in their natural habitat. Back on land, you might catch a glimpse of a herd of wild goats or even nesting seabirds. No surprise then that this place is one of the BBC Wildlife Magazine's Top Ten Attractions in Ireland!
DON’T MISS
The Killimer-Tarbert car ferry not only cuts down travelling time, it straddles the counties of Clare and Kerry, taking in some terrific scenery all the way!
Aviation history and an Irish Coffee
“Is this Brazilian coffee?”, someone asked. “No," replied Joe, "that's Irish Coffee." It's one of the many tales you'll hear at the Flying Boat and Maritime Museum in Foynes, County Limerick. Invented in 1942 by chef Joe Sheridan at Foynes Port, where planes en route from Europe to America would stop to refuel, he whipped it up one cold winter’s night for passengers who were delayed due to bad weather! Of course, the museum is also a haven for those enthralled with the brave stories from aviation history.
DON’T MISS
Tee off at Ballybunion Golf Club, played by Tiger Woods during his travels around Ireland, before making your way to Tralee.