Doolin

The village

Doolin (Dúlainn in Irish) is a coastal village in County Clare, Ireland, on the Atlantic coast. It is southwest of the spa town of Lisdoonvarna and 4 miles from the Cliffs of Moher, and it is a noted centre of traditional Irish music, which is played nightly in its pubs — the reason it has become such a popular destination, and the reason the village is full on session nights. There are numerous nearby archaeological sites, many dating to the Iron Age and earlier, and Doonagore Castle and Ballinalacken Castle are also in the area. The area was officially classified as part of the West Clare Gaeltacht prior to the 1950s, and the village keeps its connection with the Irish-speaking country — including the maritime one, with the Aran Islands.

The shape of it

The village of Doolin does not have a defined centre: it comprises a number of scattered sections, and the one that matters for the trip is the harbour. The Harbour is the departing point for boat trips to the Aran Islands and to the Cliffs of Moher, which is the practical core of the place — the quay, the pubs, the boats — and the rest of the village spills out around it. The walk through Doolin is the walk from the quay to the music and back.

The music

Doolin is the west Clare name for the traditional session. The music is played nightly in the pubs, and it has drawn visitors for decades — the sessions are the point of the trip for many, and the village works best in the evening when the rooms fill and the sets run. Pair the music with the cliff walk for a full day: the Cliffs of Moher in the morning, the harbour and the sessions for the night.

Practical

Doolin is four miles from the Cliffs of Moher and a short drive from Lisdoonvarna; the harbour is the departure point for the Aran Island boats. The pub sessions run nightly — the village is busiest in the evening, so allow for it.