BURRENHOME -Activities

DINING

There are numerous good restaurants, tea shops and coffee shops in the area.

Gregans Castle Hotel Restaurant Tel: +353 65 707 7005 www.gregans.ie
Ballinalacken Castle Hotel. Tel: +353 65 7074025 www.ballinalackencastle.com
The Whitethorn Restaurant. Tel: +353 65 7077044
Monks Bar and Restaurant (one of the most famous sea-food bars in Ireland). Tel:+353 65 7077059
Holy Well Italian café Tel: +353 (0) 65 7077322 www.holywell.net
Linnanes Pub and Restaurant, New Quay Tel: +353 (0) 65 70778120

And many more …

ACTIVITIES

SWIMMING: Fanore; Bishops Quarter beach; Tra beach, near Kinvara. Gleninagh Pier is a charming place to swim. Spanish Point, Lahinch, White Strand, Doonebeg, Kilkee.
HORSE RIDING AND PONY TREKKING Burren Riding Centre, Fanore Tel: + 353 (0) 65 7076140. burrenriding.ennis@eircom.net
WALKING Explore the Burren and take a guided walk from an acclaimed local guide. Burren walks: http://homepage.eircom.net/~burrenhillwalks
Alternatively, walk on the area’s magnificent beaches such as Fanore. A walk along the Rine, just outside Ballyvaughan, particularly early in the morning, is one of life’s great experiences. A special walk is The Burren Way.
CYCLING bicycle rental: Burren Bike, Ballyvaughan, Co Clare, Tel: +353 (0)65 707 7061 info@burrenbike.com www.burrenbike.com
If cycling the following are signposted cycle ways:

BIRD-WATCHING: Cliffs of Moher Breeding Birds
WILDLIFE: www.dolphinwatch.ie www.discoverdolphins.ie
Sailing and Water sports: piers at Ballyvaughan, Kinvara and Gleninagh.
Clay Pigeon Shooting: Woodlands Shooting Club near Lisdoonvarna. Tuition available. Tel. 065 7074038.
FISHING: Sea Angling from the Shore. There are many well established shore angling marks near Ballyvaughan, most of which are signposted and easily accessible including New Quay, Rynn Point, Blackhead, Fanore and Doolin.
TOURING ITINERARIES: There are many scenic drives around the area. The house is situated near what the Automobile Association recently described as one of the top ten scenic drives in the world. The Burren is a magical landscape to be explored. The drive from Fanore Bridge up the Caher Valley should not be missed. The coast road from the house past the Cliffs of Moher, Spanish Point, Kilkee and ending in the Loop Head peninsula approached from Kilkee is spectacular.
Suggested scenic drives include the following :
The Burren drive http://www.shannonregiontourism.ie/detail.asp?memberID=12552
The Loop Head Peninsula drive
http://www.shannonregiontourism.ie/detail.asp?memberID=12961
TRADITIONAL MUSIC: Doolin, Kilfenora, Ballyvaughan and Lisdoonvarna, Miltown Malbay.
FESTIVALS: Cruinniú na mBád, Kinvara. Kinvara was a thriving port to which the necessities of life, such as turf fuel, were brought by the traditional Connemara sailing craft in the 19th century. This trade is recalled each summer in Cruinniu na mBad, a sea festival organised by the village, which sees the old boats called “Galway Hookers” compete in a series of races and events.
Clarinbridge Oyster Festival: held on the weekend of the 2nd Sunday in September in the open.
Lisdoonvarna Match-Making Festival: September. Lisdoonvarna's reputation for match-making originated when farmers, after the harvest, sought wives.
Galway Arts Festival: National and International theatre, dance, spectacle music, literature and visual arts indoors and outdoors. www.galwayartsfestival.ie