Enniscrone

Infobox Irish Place
name = Enniscrone
gaeilge = Inis Crabhann
crest

motto =
map

pin coords = left: 11px; top: 53px
north coord = 54.2167 | west coord = 9.1000 | irish grid = G282303
area = | elevation = 4 m
province = Connacht
county = County Sligo
population = | town pop = 829 | rural pop =
census yr = 2006
web = |

Enniscrone – also spelt Inniscrone and, officially, Inishcrone ("Inis Crabhann" in Irish) – is a small seaside town in County Sligo, Ireland. A sandy beach, tourist campsite, and golf course all attract a large number of visitors. The Enniscrone area includes the localities of Muckduff, Lacken, Lackneslava, Frankfort, and Carrowhubbock South.

Enniscrone beach

Enniscrone’s public sandy beach stretches over a long area of shoreline. It is split near the lower part of the village by a small crossable river, and is watched over by lifeguards in the busy summer period.

Visitors generally stay in the holiday home estates which are mostly only occupied in summer. A large number of walkers use the full stretch to the mouth of the river Moy, at which point Bartra Island can be seen. The beach is used extensively by the population of the nearby town of Ballina, County Mayo. Enniscrone has two major hotels, the Diamond Coast Hotel and the Ocean Sands Hotel, as well as many B&B's.

The ‘Valley of Diamonds’ is one of the hidden attractions along the beach; it is the largest of volcano-like compositions among the long-grassed sand dunes, the inside of which is a mostly sandy circler-like valley, it is located near the end of the beach. The sand dunes here are fenced off by Sligo County Council as part of their 'Dune Restoration Works Programme'.

New county council restrictions limit road access to the beach, this measure was taken to comply with the regulations for Enniscrone's famous Blue Flag.

What does it have to offer?

3km of Blue flag beach is the main attraction, for walking, surfing etc. Local amenities include seaweed baths, 2 surf schools, several pubs, two butchers, 2 foodstores, a fast food outlet, a Chinese restaurant, a swimming pool/gym centre, and two newly opened premises, a surf shop and an Indian restaurant. Waterpoint, the swimming pool/gym is a popular spot with tourists. Also there is a pitch and putt course as well as a 27 hole internationally-recognised golf course. The pier offers the chance to do a little fishing in the Atlantic and socialise with the locals. Boats offer fishing trips during the summer period.

Name

The majority of the local population know this village as Enniscrone (Gaeilge: Inis Eascair Abhainn), though many local school teachers and historians use the official name of Inishcrone and have always done so. Sligo County Council has neglected the official version in favour of 'Enniscrone' which appears on their website and at least one local newspaper does not use the official name. Locally, the road signs are one of the few places "Inniscrone" can be seen.

Up until the late 1970s the name Enniscrone was used by local teachers. It was taught as being a derivative of the Irish "Inis Eascar Abhann" meaning the island on the sandbank in the river.

On May 30, 2006, Google lists only 667 entries for 'Inniscrone', and 862 for 'Inishcrone', while 'Enniscrone' has 212,000 entries. A search restricted to the website of Sligo County Council finds 343 for 'Enniscrone', entry for each of the other terms.

ee also

* List of towns and villages in Ireland

External links

* [http://archives.tcm.ie/westernpeople/2001/07/04/story7345.asp Enniscrone's Valley of Diamonds under threat]
* [http://www.enniscroneonline.com Enniscrone Online Enniscrone in an instant]