Loop Head (), is a headland on the north side of the mouth of the
River Shannon
The River Shannon ( or archaic ') is the major river on the island of Ireland, and at in length, is the longest river in the British Isles. It drains the Shannon River Basin, which has an area of , – approximately one fifth of the area of I ...
, in
County Clare
County Clare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...
in the west of
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
.
Loop Head is marked by a prominent lighthouse. The opposite headland on the south side of the Shannon is
Kerry Head. The
Shannon Foynes Port Company controls navigation in the
Shannon estuary and river.
Loop Head peninsula, has the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Shannon Estuary on the other, with barely a mile of land saving it from island status.
In 2010, the Loop Head peninsula was awarded a
European Destinations of Excellence Award, which is an EU accolade for emerging tourism destinations which are developing in a responsible and sustainable manner. In 2013, Loop Head was named the "Best Place to Holiday in Ireland" by ''
The Irish Times
''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...
'', and was shortlisted in the Best Destination category at the World Responsible Tourism awards. The Loop Head Peninsula is the only Irish destination listed in the 2014 Global Sustainable Top 100 Destinations and in 2015 took the gold medal at the Irish Responsible Tourism Awards.
Part of the film ''
Star Wars: The Last Jedi'' was filmed at Loop Head.
The head has a giant "Eire" sign left over from
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
during
The Emergency in Ireland.
Gallery
File:Loop Head - geograph.org.uk - 12618.jpg , Diarmuid and Gráinne's Rock or Lover's Leap
File:Loop Head, Lighthouse, County Clare - geograph.org.uk - 56065.jpg , Lighthouse
File:Aillnagreagh, Loop Head - geograph.org.uk - 1088809.jpg , Aillnagreagh
File:Kilkee folds.jpg, Kilkee Cliffs
See also
*
List of lighthouses in Ireland
References
External links
Awarded "EDEN - European Destinations of Excellence" non traditional tourist destination 2010Commissioners of Irish Lights
Headlands of County Clare
Lighthouses in the Republic of Ireland
Lighthouses on the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
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