The "Cliffs of Dooneen" is an Irish ballad made famous by

Planxty Planxty were an Irish folk music band formed in January 1972, consisting initially of Christy Moore (vocals, acoustic guitar, bodhrán), Andy Irvine (vocals, mandolin, mandola, bouzouki, hurdy-gurdy, harmonica), Dónal Lunny (bouzouki, guit ...

. It is often performed by

Christy Moore Christopher Andrew "Christy" Moore (born 7 May 1945) is an Ireland, Irish folk singer, songwriter and guitarist. In addition to his significant success as an individual, he is one of the founding members of Planxty and Moving Hearts. His first ...

. The song was written by Jack McAuliffe from

Lixnaw Lixnaw () is a village in North County Kerry, Ireland. It is located near the River Brick SW of Listowel and NE of Tralee. History Lixnaw was once the seat of the Fitzmaurice family, the Earls of Kerry. In 1320 Nicolas, the third baron o ...

County Kerry County Kerry ( gle, Contae Chiarraí) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and forms part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county. The population of the cou ...

about the cliffs around Dooneen Point near Beale, Kerry in the west of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Confusion over the location

The mention of the west coast of

County Clare County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,817 ...

and the towns of

Kilkee Kilkee () is a small coastal town in County Clare, Ireland. It is in the parish of Kilkee, formerly Kilfearagh. Kilkee is midway between Kilrush and Doonbeg on the N67 road. The town is popular as a seaside resort. The horseshoe bay is p ...

and

Kilrush Kilrush () is a coastal town in County Clare, Ireland. It is also the name of a civil parish and an ecclesiastical parish in Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe. It is located near the mouth of the River Shannon in the south-west of the county. ...

have made the song a County Clare anthem, with the words "Cliffs of Dooneen" often changed to "Hills of Moveen", a location a few miles west of Kilkee. This has led to confusion over the location of the cliffs which some assume to be in Clare rather than in Kerry. In September 2010 the confusion was mentioned in a lighthearted Irishman's Diary article which provoked responses from the public in the follow-up article. Dooneen Point is clearly marked on the historic

Ordnance Survey of Ireland Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSI; ga, Suirbhéireacht Ordanáis Éireann) is the national mapping agency of Ireland. It was established on 4 March 2002 as a body corporate. It is the successor to the former Ordnance Survey of Ireland. It and the ...

map. The cliffs themselves can also be seen from satellite photos. Some doubt the ability to see both Kilkee (on the north of the Clare peninsula) and Kilrush (on the south of the Clare peninsula) from North Kerry. The following photographs taken from the same spot show Beale, Kerry in the foreground with Clare towns in the distance.

Origins of the song

The late Liam Buckley who was born in the cottage immediately adjacent to the Cliffs of Dooneen has stated the poem was penned by Jack McAuliffe who had travelled from Lixnaw to Beale to visit his sister. Jack had spent time with locals in the fields above and shore below the cliffs. He then visited Bill and Nell Buckley's cottage, known as "99" a few hundred metres away - for tea and scones. Liam was told by his mother (Jack's host) that the poem was written at the kitchen window of the cottage. Liam says the poem was put to music years later by a local musician. Liam did not know the date the poem was written but he remembers it from the 1930s. A variation of Liam Buckley's account from Jack McAuliffe's niece also exists which suggests it was written in the adjoining cottage occupied by Bob Boyle.

References

{{authority control Irish songs Songs about Ireland Year of song missing