Lahinch - town in County Clare, Ireland

Lahinch is a small seaside resort in County Clare in the west of Ireland. In Irish it's An Leacht, "the peninsula" and also known as Leacht Uí Chonchubhair, "Cairn of O'Connor" for the chieftain slain at Dough Castle. The resort grew up with the coming of the railway in 1887; that closed in 1961 but then along came an army of surfers in beat-up VW campervans. Lahinch has now a sewage problem in the sea. It is 10 km south of the spectacular Cliffs of Moher, and this page also describes the next-door villages of Liscannor and Ennistymon.

Get in

Lahinch is about 30 km from Ennis. Take N85 to Ennistymon then turn left onto N67.

Bus Éireann 333 runs from Ennis via Corofin, Lemenagh Castle and Kilfenora, taking about an hour to Ennistymon and Lahinch, and continuing to Milltown Malbay, Spanish Point, Quilty, Doonbeg and Kilkee. There are four M-Sa and two on Sunday. On Tuesdays only, one bus continues from Doonbeg to Kilrush.

Bus 350 winds along the coast from Galway six times a day via Kinvara, Ballyvaughan, Fanore, Lisdoonvarna, Doolin, Cliffs of Moher, Liscannor, Lahinch, Ennistymon, Corofin and Inagh to Ennis.

Get around

Lahinch, Ennistymon and Liscannor are easy to get around on foot, but they're a few km from each other, and some distance from Cliffs of Moher.

The Paddywagon is a minibus that shuttles between Liscannor, Kilconnell, Cliffs of Moher, and Doolin village and pier. So you can ride one way and hike the other, and avoid bringing a vehicle to the crowded Cliffs car park. It runs hourly, adult €8.

See

• Cliffs of Moher 📍 (Aillte an Mhothair, "Cliffs of the Ruin") tower 230 m above the Atlantic. They're dramatic but very touristy - free to view but the car park is pricey. See Doolin for more detail, including boat trips beneath them.
• St Brigid's Well 📍 has been a shrine since the 1830s. There's an old cross and graveyard further up the hill.
• Kilconnell 📍 is the way to enjoy the Cliffs of Moher without the crowds or silly price for parking: park here for €3 and enjoy the two hour walk along the cliff tops to the visitor centre. Or just stroll to the nearby Moher Tower, built as a lookout against Napoleonic invasion. Similar towers were built all around Ireland's northwest coast, exchanging signals by flags.
• Liscannor 📍 (Lios Ceannúir, "ringfort of Connor") is an interesting little harbour 4 km west of Lahinch. As well as fishing, the harbour brought in coal and exported flagstones, but it was shallow and silty. There's the crumbling remains of a castle tower, ruined Kilmacreehy Church and graveyard and Caherderry Church, plus the still-active old churches of Moymore and St Brigid's, which by an ecclesiastical quirk is under the direct authority of the Pope. John Phillip Holland (1840-1914), inventor of the modern submarine, was born and grew up here. Only five Royal Navy submarines were built to his design: No 1 is in the RN Museum in Gosport, 2, 3 and 4 were scrapped, and the wreck of No 5 lies in 30 m depth off Eastbourne.
• Dough Castle 📍 on Lahinch golf course is the stump of a medieval tower. It was the stronghold of the O'Connors, but in 1471 their chieftain was murdered here by his nephews: his burial cairn Leacht Ui Chonchuir being the alternative Irish name for Lahinch. But "Dough" itself is from dumhach - sand dune - and the ruin of the castle is not from attack or Cromwellian demolition but from unstable sand foundations.
• Ennistymon 📍 (Inis Díomáin, "Díomáin's island") is an attractive village 4 km inland, where the Cullenagh River cascades to become the tidal River Inagh: in spate the spray from the falls cloaks the village. Best view of them is via the arch by Byrne's Hotel. Lots of eating and drinking places: the poet Dylan Thomas (1914-1953) spent a while here as it was the family home of his wife Caitlín Macnamara. (Though where did he not stay, hand-to-mouth, and when did he not spend?) Much of Father Ted was filmed in the village. A memorial to the Irish Famine (An Gorta Mór) stands 1 km from town on the road to Lahinch.

Do

• Surfing: there are breaks for experienced surfers on the south side of the beach; beginners should head for quieter waters north side. The beach is covered at high tide. Surf shacks along the Promenade are Lahinch Surf Experience, Lahinch Surf School, Ben's Surf Clinic, The Green Room and Lahinch Surf Shop.
• Play golf: Lahinch Golf Club is on the peninsula, where the teetering Dough Castle looks like one badly-sliced drive could finish it off. The Old Course (blue tees) is 6950 yards, par 72; the Castle Course (white tees) is 5488 yards, par 69.

Buy

• Centra in Lahinch is a convenience store open daily 07:00-21:00.

Eat

• O'Looneys Bar & Restaurant, The Promenade, Lahinch, 52.93289°, -9.34755°, +353 65 708 1414, info@olooneys.ie. Daily 11:00-21:00. Popular restaurant and pub on the Promenade. 2020-05-07
• Randaddy's, Promenade, Lahinch, 52.9338°, -9.3477°, +353 65 708 2740, info@randaddys.ie. Th 11:30-18:00, F 11:30-20:00, Sa 10:00-21:30, Su 10:00-20:00. Great views, okay food, child and dog friendly. 2020-05-07
• Vaughans Anchor Inn, Main St, Liscannor, +353 65 708 1548, info@vaughans.ie. Daily 12:30-21:00. Traditional Irish restaurant and bar, has simple modern rooms. 2020-05-07
• Barrtrá Seafood Restaurant, Barrtrá (N67 3 km southwest of Lahinch), 52.911°, -9.358°, +353 65 708 1280. Mar Apr Oct Dec F Sa 17:30-21:00, Su 12:00-19:00; May-Sep W-Sa 17:30-21:00, Su 12:00-19:00. Acclaimed seafood restaurant. Dinner hours seasonal as above, July and August they also serve lunch daily 12:30 - 16:30. 2020-05-08
• Byrne's, Main St, Ennistymon, +353 65 707 1080. Apr-Oct daily, Nov-Mar Tu-Su, 12:00-21:30. Good restaurant with the best view of the falls, also has rooms. 2020-05-08

Drink

• Lahinch pubs are Flanagan's Bar, Danny Mac's, Kenny's and Slattery's.
• Ennistymon pubs are Pot Duggan's (dead link: February 2023), Eugene's and Cooley's House.
• Liscannor pubs are Egan's and Joseph McHugh's (dead link: January 2023).

Sleep

• Castleview Golf Course B&B, Ennistymon Rd, Lahinch, 52.935°, -9.333°, +353 65 708 1648. Well-run B&B 1 km from town and beach. No availability in 2020. 2020-05-07
• Lahinch Coast Hotel, Station Rd, Lahinch, 52.9315°, -9.3452°, +353 65 708 1100, info@lahinchgolfhotel.com. In 2019 they had the designers in and re-branded the place. Gets good ratings for comfort, service and food. B&B double €100 2020-05-07
• Atlantic Hotel, Main St, Lahinch, 52.93223°, -9.34607°, +353 65 708 1049, info@atlantichotel.ie. Friendly clean hotel in town centre. B&B double €110 2020-05-07
• Sancta Maria Hotel, Ennistymon Rd, Lahinch, 52.9337°, -9.3438°, +353 65 708 1041, info@sancta-maria.ie. Simple welcoming small hotel open Mar-Oct. B&B double €110 2020-05-07
• Lahinch Hostel, Church St, Lahinch, 52.9311°, -9.3459°, +353 65 708 1040, info@lahinchhostel.ie. Clean friendly hostel in town centre. Dorm €18, private room €20, ppn 2020-05-07
• Falls Hotel, Sroohill, Ennistymon, +353 65 707 1004. Upscale hotel and spa in what was the Georgian Ennistymon House, home of the family of Caitlín Macnamara who married Dylan Thomas. Gets great reviews for comfort, service and food. B&B double from €90 2020-05-08
• Moy House, Calluragh South, Lahinch, 52.917°, -9.349°, +353 65 708 2800. Bijou hotel in unusual Georgian bungalow, excellent cooking. Open Apr-Oct. No dogs. No availability shown for 2020. B&B double from €180 2020-05-27

Connect

As of July 2020, Lahinch has a good mobile and 4G signal from all Irish carriers, but 5G has not yet reached this area.

Go next

• North along the coast from Cliffs of Moher is Doolin, with boats to the Aran Islands.
• Further north, the cliffs continue then you round the headland towards Galway.
• Inland is the spare scenery of The Burren.
• Kilrush on the Shannon estuary has a resident pod of dolphins. No, not in the village itself.
• Ennis is an agreeable market town ringed by ruined abbeys and other historic sites.