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County in Ireland
Photo: Photograph Tobias Helfrich, March 27th, 2004. Modified by Pumbaa, 09:09, 7 April 2006 (UTC), CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
County Clare (Contae an Chláir) is in the Shannon Region of Ireland. The eastern part is farmland, dotted with ruined abbeys and small market towns; the west and north are bare limestone ridges and cliffs facing the Atlantic weather. It's very touristy: Shannon airport, medieval banquets at Bunratty, Cliffs of Moher, trad Irish music in the villages, looking up ancestors in Corofin: the tour itinerary writes itself. But this means visitor amenities are well-developed, and you only have to turn up any quiet lane to escape the circus and have the place to yourself.
By plane
Shannon Airport (SNN) is a major portal of entry into Ireland. It has many flights from Europe, UK and the United States, with US border pre-clearance, and in summer from Toronto.
By bus
Dublin Coach 300 (M7) runs hourly from Dublin Burgh Quay via Kildare, Limerick and Bunratty to Ennis, taking 3 hr 30 min. There's also a direct bus from Dublin Airport to Limerick.
By rail
From Dublin, first take the hourly train from Heuston station to Limerick Colbert. From there, trains run to Ennis every couple of hours, and four or five of them continue to Galway.
By boat
The Shannon Ferry plies between Killimer in County Clare and Tarbert in County Kerry on the south bank, both on Highway N67. It sails hourly Sep-May and every 30 min Jun-Aug.
Hourly buses ply between Limerick, Bunratty, Shannon town and airport, Ennis and Galway. Anywhere not on that corridor has a very sparse service, but see the coast route 350 above.
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Shannon · International · SNN
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The Burren (Boireann, "great rock") is a large area of northern County Clare, in the west of Ireland, with karst landscape - a great bare limestone sheet sculpted by water action. Part of it is The Burren National Park, and part is The Burren and Cliffs of Moher Geopark.
The Aran Islands (Oileáin Árann) are three islands in County Galway in the west of Ireland. They have stark treeless scenery of barren limestone which makes the green of their fields and heathland shine all the brighter.
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