Doonbeg () is a village in west

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 ...

, Ireland on the Atlantic coast. The surrounding natural environment has supported its development as a tourist resort. The area was officially classified as part of the West Clare

Gaeltacht A ( , , ) is a district of Ireland, either individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home. The districts were first officially recognised ...

, an

Irish-speaking Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. It is a member of the Goidelic languages of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous ...

community, until 1956.

Location

Doonbeg is situated on the N67 between the towns of Kilkee and

Milltown Malbay Milltown Malbay (), also Miltown Malbay, is a town in the west of County Clare, Ireland, near Spanish Point, County Clare, Spanish Point. The population was 921 at the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census. Name There is a townland on the souther ...

. The nearest large towns are

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. ...

and Kilkee, which are both approximately away. The village is located in

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

of Killard. It is part of the parish of Doonbeg (Killard) in the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe The Diocese of Killaloe ( ; ) is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in mid-western Ireland, one of six suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Cashel and Emly. The cathedral church of the diocese is the Cathedral of Ss Peter a ...

. Doonbeg is surrounded by farmland, some of which is used for

dairy farming Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for the long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy) for the eventual sale of a dairy product. Dairy farming has a h ...

. There is also an area of bogland near the village. The Doonbeg River flows through the village and enters the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

at the nearby Doonbeg Bay.

History

Evidence of ancient settlement in the area include a number of

ringfort Ringforts or ring forts are small circular fortification, fortified settlements built during the Bronze Age, Iron Age and early Middle Ages up to about the year 1000 AD. They are found in Northern Europe, especially in Ireland. There are ...

sites in the surrounding

townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...

s of Doonbeg, Doonmore and Mountrivers. A settlement has existed at the site of the current village, at the river crossing in Doonbeg townland, since medieval times. The village name ''Dun Beag'', or small fort, may refer to Doonbeg Castle or an earlier fortification located at the river crossing. Now in ruin, Doonbeg Castle was built in the 16th century, and has been historically associated with the MacMahon and O'Brien clans.

Amenities

The village holds the church of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven. It is a modern church, noteworthy for the stained-glass windows that are uniquely designed so that the various colours illuminate the altar throughout the day. The church was built in 1976 and has an uncommon octagonal shape. It replaced the older cross-shaped church that was built in 1813. Doonbeg also has several pubs, Doonbeg National School, two shops, a post office and a village hall and a tourist office. The central point of the village is an early 19th-century seven-arched stone bridge which crosses the Doonbeg River and divides the village. The crossing is overlooked by the remaining fortifications of Doonbeg castle.

Transport

Bus Éireann Bus Éireann (; "Irish Bus") is a state-owned bus and coach operator providing services throughout Republic of Ireland, Ireland, with the exception of Dublin, where bus services are provided by sister company Dublin Bus. It is a subsidiary of C ...

route number 333 links the village to

Ennis Ennis ( , meaning 'island' or 'river meadow') is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in Cou ...

via

Lahinch Lahinch or Lehinch ( ''or'' ) is a small town on Liscannor Bay, on the northwest coast of County Clare, Ireland. It lies on the N67 national secondary road, between Milltown Malbay and Ennistymon, roughly by road southwest of Galway and nort ...

and Kilfenora with one journey each way daily except Sundays. Onward rail and bus services are available at Ennis. There is also a Tuesday only route 333 to

Sport

Gaelic football Gaelic football (; short name '')'', commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA, or football, is an Irish team sport. A form of football, it is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score ...

is popular in Doonbeg. The main playing area is the Shanahan McNamara Memorial grounds which are located outside the village. Doonbeg GAA is among the most successful Gaelic football clubs in the Clare Senior Football Championship, having won 18 county titles. Doonbeg's football team is known as "The Magpies" because of the black and white shirts which are traditionally worn. Trump International Golf Links and Hotel Ireland, formerly Doonbeg Golf Club, is situated outside the village. Doonbeg is home to one of Clare's best-known surf beaches, known locally as "Doughmore". The beach includes hazards such as strong

rip current A rip current (or just rip) is a specific type of water current that can occur near beaches where waves break. A rip is a strong, localized, and narrow current of water that moves directly away from the shore by cutting through the lines of bre ...

s and has been signposted as "dangerous for bathing" by Clare County Council. The beach runs parallel to Doonbeg Golf Course which must be crossed in order to get onto the beach.

Tourism

Cultural events in the village and area include the Willie Keane Memorial Weekend (in October), a jazz festival (in June), and the West Clare Drama Festival (which was established in 1962). In the outlying parish, scenic areas include the cliffs of Ballard and Killard and the White Strand beach which is located in the townland of Killard. Surfing has become common in recent times along the northern coastline of the parish. The White Strand beach in Killard attracts visitors during the summer. Nearby there is a monument to Pat McDonald who was born in Killard and won an Olympic Gold Medal representing the US in Men's Shot Put. When he won his Olympic gold medal in 1920, he was aged 42, making him the oldest Olympic track & field champion ever. There are picnic areas on the banks of the river near the bridge. Fishing is also possible in the river and around the coastal area of Doonbeg, with shore fishing from the Blue Pool in Ballard.

Notable people

* David Tubridy – Clare footballer who became top scorer in

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

history against Cork in May 2021 his total score in the competition after this game (22–412, i.e. 478 points) causing him to overtake Mickey Kearins * Tommy Tubridy – Clare footballer and father of David * Barney McMahon – Brigadier General, Irish Air Corps

References

{{Authority control Towns and villages in County Clare