Loop Head (), is a headland on the north side of the mouth of the

River Shannon The River Shannon ( ga, Abhainn na Sionainne, ', '), 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 the island of Ireland. The Shan ...

, in

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 ...

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 ...

. Loop Head is marked by a prominent lighthouse. The opposite headland on the south side of the Shannon is

Kerry Head Kerry Head is a headland located in County Kerry, Ireland that stretches into the Atlantic Ocean just north of Banna Strand. On the southern edge of the headland sits Ballyheigue. Kerry Head separates the Shannon Estuary, on the north side, ...

. The Shannon Foynes Port Company controls navigation in the

Shannon estuary The Shannon Estuary ( gle, Inbhear na Sionainne) is a large estuary where the River Shannon flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The estuary has Limerick City at its head and its seaward limits are marked by Loop Head to the north and Kerry Head to th ...

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 European Destinations of ExcelleNce, also known by the acronym EDEN, is an initiative launched by the European Commission promoting sustainable tourism development models across Europe. The project is based on national competitions which take plac ...

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 launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

'', 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, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

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

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 {{Clare-geo-stub

Gallery

See also

References

External links