Doolin

Doolin Dúlainn
—  Village  —
The Fisher Street area of Doolin
Doolin Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 53°00′58″N 9°22′37″W / 53.016°N 9.377°W / 53.016; -9.377Coordinates: 53°00′58″N 9°22′37″W / 53.016°N 9.377°W / 53.016; -9.377
Country	Ireland
Province	Munster
County	County Clare
Elevation	20 m (66 ft)
Irish Grid Reference	R066965

Doolin (Irish: Dúlainn) is a coastal village in County Clare, Ireland, on the Atlantic coast. It borders the spa town of Lisdoonvarna. It is a noted centre of traditional Irish music, which is played nightly in its pubs, making it a popular tourist destination. There are numerous nearby archaeological sites, many dating to the Iron Age and earlier. Doonagore Castle and Ballinalacken Castle are also in the area.

Transport

Doolin is one of three places (Galway and the village of Rossaveal on the northwest shore of Galway Bay are the others) with ferry services to the Aran Islands, which are visible from the town. Doolin is also close to the Cliffs of Moher, and a bus service between Galway and Limerick/Ennis calls at both Doolin and the cliffs in each direction. The area is at the south-western corner of the Burren region. Recently, a ferry service has begun bringing tourists from Doolin Pier to the base of the Cliffs of Moher.

The Aille River runs from the hills of the Burren down past Doolin to meet the sea. The small Crab Island is a short distance out from Doolin Harbor, barren except for the remains of a 19th century stone constabulary outpost.

Evening at Doolin Harbour, with the Cliffs of Moher and Hag's Head visible in the distance

Amenities and tourism

Layout

The scattered village of Doolin comprises three parts along with a harbour:

• "The Harbour" is the departing point for boat trips to the Aran Islands and the Cliffs of Moher. There is also a campsite nearby
• "Fisher Street" has O'Connor's Pub and several shops and hostels.
• "Fitz's Cross" has a hostel, campsite, two new hotels and another pub which opened in 2006/2007
• "Roadford" has McGann's and Mc Dermott's pubs, four restaurants, two hostels and a number of B&Bs. Trips to Doolin Cave are also run from here.

The Great Stalactite at Doolin Cave

Doolin Cave

The Great Stalactite, measuring 7.3 metres, was discovered in 1952. Doolin Cave claims that it is recognised as being the longest stalactite in the Northern hemisphere.^[1]Owing to environmental protection measures, concurrent visitor numbers are limited to 20.^[2]

Surfing

Doolin is a noted surfing destination. A break which generates Irelands biggest wave, 'Aill Na Searrach', was recently discovered at the base off the Cliffs of Moher. The wave features in the movie Waveriders. Crab Island is also a local surfing spot.^[3]

Rock climbing

As well as serving as an accommodation centre for visitors to the major climbing area of Ailladie, a short drive away, Doolin has its own less-popular sea-cliff rock-climbing area, with about 18 routes recorded.^[4][5] Like Ailladie, the cliffs are single-pitch steep limestone; however the rock is not of as high a quality, the cliffs are tidal, and access is not as easy. There are also several smaller inland crags scattered throughout the Burren region and some good bouldering to be found along the coast, most notably at Lackglass, which was first bouldered in April 2005.^[6]

Pubs

Pubs in Doolin include Fitzpatricks, Gus O'Connor's, McDermott's and McGann's. The Micho Russell Festival Weekend is held each year after the last Friday in February.

• 

  Gus O'Connor's pub, founded in 1832.

• 

  McDermott's pub, founded in 1867.

• 

  McGann's pub, founded in 1976.website

People

Musicians associated with Doolin, who have lived there or played in its pubs, include Micho Russell and his brothers Packie and Gussie, Sharon Shannon, Davy Spillane, and Steve Wickham of The Waterboys.

Popular culture

Doolin is the main setting for the PlayStation 3 game Folklore. According to the game's storyline, the Netherworld, the world of the dead is a realm that can only be accessed from one place in the world, the sea-side village of Doolin.

Just outside of Doolin above Doonagore Castle

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland

References

1. ^ Doolin Cave
2. ^ Doolin Cave Homepage
3. ^ http://www.monasette.com/archive/001057.html
4. ^ "Irish Climbing Online Wiki - Doolin". http://wiki.climbing.ie/index.php/Doolin. Retrieved 2011-04-07. 
5. ^ Peter Owens, ed. (2008), Climbs in the Burren and Aran Islands, Mountaineering Ireland, ISBN 0 902940 21 X 
6. ^ http://doolinbouldering.com/

External links

• Doolin Tourism
• Doolin historical & tourism information
• Doolin Coast Guard Unit