Lahinch or Lehinch ( ''or'' ) is a small town on

Liscannor Bay Liscannor Bay is a bay on the west coast of Ireland in County Clare. Hag's Head provides the northern border for the bay and Cream Point is the southern boundary. The village of Liscannor is located on the north side of the bay, while the vill ...

, on the northwest 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 ...

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 ...

. It lies on the N67

national secondary road A national secondary road ( ga, Bóthar Náisiúnta den Dara Grád) is a category of road in Ireland. These roads form an important part of the national route network but are secondary to the main arterial routes which are classified as national ...

, between

Milltown Malbay Milltown Malbay (), also Miltown Malbay, is a town in the west of County Clare, Ireland, near Spanish Point. The population was 829 at the 2016 Census. Name There is a townland on the southern edge of the town called Poulawillin or Pollawillin ...

and

Ennistymon Ennistymon or Ennistimon () is a country market town in County Clare, near the west coast of Ireland. The River Inagh, with its small rapids known as the Cascades, runs through the town, behind the main street. A bridge across the river leads to ...

, roughly by road southwest of

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...

and northwest of

Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...

. The town is a seaside resort and is home to the

Lahinch Golf Club Lahinch Golf Club is a links golf course in western Ireland, in the town of Lahinch on the northwest coast of County Clare in northern Munster. It is situated approximately northwest of the town of Ennis. In 2016, ''Golf Digest'' ranked the Ol ...

. It has become a popular surfing location.

Etymology

Lahinch is the anglicised form of Leath Inse, meaning half island or peninsula. This is not related to ''Leacht Uí Chonchubhair'', which means "O'Connor's Grave", referring to the memorial cairn ( Leacht) marking the burial place of one of the O’Connor chieftains, who were the ruling clan of the district of Corco Modhruadh Iartharach. The town was recorded by the

Annals of the Four Masters The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' ( ga, Annála Ríoghachta Éireann) or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' (''Annála na gCeithre Máistrí'') are chronicles of medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Deluge, dated as 2,24 ...

as ''Leith Innse'', which is a variant of the Irish word for a peninsula ''leithinis'' ("half island"), which describes the village's location between the

Inagh River The Inagh River is a river of County Clare, western Ireland. It takes in the Dealagh River and flows into Liscannor Bay at Lahinch after flowing through Lahinch Golf Course. The ruins of Dough Castle Dough Castle (Irish: Dumhach Ui Chonchu ...

and the sea. The town today is mostly spelled "Lahinch", but some road signs in the area use the spelling "Lehinch".

History and landmarks

Several earth forts in the area indicate that the area was inhabited in ancient times, the most prominent of which is on the northern side of the hill above the village along the road to Ennistymon. The fort is believed to have been built by the Danish Vikings and lies on a hill which later became known as "Doctor's Hill" after a doctor was murdered there. In the Middle Ages, the O'Brien clan dominated the coastline;

Liscannor Castle Liscannor () is a coastal village in County Clare, Ireland. Geography Lying on the west coast of Ireland, on Liscannor Bay, the village is located on the R478 road between Lahinch, to the east, and Doolin, to the north. The Cliffs of Moher a ...

and

Dough Castle Dough Castle (Irish: Dumhach Ui Chonchuir – "sandbank of the O'Connors") is a ruined tower house at Lahinch in County Clare, western Ireland. It was established by the O'Conors in the early 14th century, but nothing remains of the original str ...

are now ruins. The tower of Dough Castle stands on the golf course, and O'Brien's Bridge across the Inagh River is in the vicinity. As late as the 18th century, Lahinch was still a small hamlet with only a few fisherman's huts. It grew in the 19th century to over 1000 people by 1835, but it was not until later in the century that the infrastructure of the town developed and it became a seaside resort following the opening of the

West Clare Railway The West Clare Railway (WCR) originally operated in County Clare, Ireland, between 1887 and 1961. This narrow-gauge railway ran from the county town of Ennis, via numerous stopping-points along the West Clare coast to two termini, at Kilrush a ...

in 1887. In 1883, the town was struck by a severe storm which destroyed the sea wall and promenade and damaged many buildings. Local governor William Edward Ellis overlooked the repair work which followed and the construction of a new sea wall and promenade were inaugurated by the wife of the Viceroy, Lady Aberdeen, in July 1893. A book "Holiday Haunts of the West Coast of Clare" (1891) stated that Lahinch's "strand for length, width and evenness is not to be excelled in Ireland", noting that the "accommodation is excellent, neat and respectable". The following year, the establishment of

further contributed to the growth of the town. In 1900, Gertrude Crowe of "Times Weekly" wrote: "Lahinch, a restful picturesque spot on the west coast of Clare, retains much of its primitive old world charm. In the good times, it is celebrated for the assemblage of rank and beauty and fashion who resorted thither for bathing. An 1822 Guide mentions that the neighbouring gentry was in the habit of having warmly contested races on the strand." Historically the people of the town celebrated Garland Sunday on the last Sunday of July, attracting people from across the county. Stalls lined the main street with numerous other attractions for the visitors. On 22 and 23 September 1920, British RIC troops avenged the Rineen Ambush, in which they lost six men, by scorching some 26 buildings, including Lahinch Town Hall and the local dance club on the Promenade. Aideen Carrol describes the RIC as running "amok in Lahinch and Miltown Malbay in an orgy of burning and beating". Dan Lehane's house at Cragg near Lahinch was raided and he was interrogated at gunpoint, but to no avail. The West Clare Railway closed in 1961, but the town has retained its popularity and in recent times has become a renowned surfing location. Today the town contains several small cafes and restaurants, a church, a pub, the Lahinch and Shamrock Hotels, a bookstore and a surfing school. Just outside the town is Moy House, a country house set in 15 acres of woodland on the

River Moy The River Moy () is a river in the northwest of Ireland. Name Ptolemy's ''Geography'' (2nd century AD) described a river called Λιβνιου (''Libniu'', perhaps from *''lei''- "flow") which probably referred to the River Moy. The Moy is fi ...

, voted Country House of the Year by ''Georgina Campbell's Ireland'' in 2003. In the summer of 1996, Lahinch Seaworld and Leisure Centre with an aquarium, a 25metre indoor swimming pool, children's pool, sauna, jacuzzi, and other facilities opened. In 2002 G. A. Finn published ''Lazy Days at Lahinch'', a light-hearted collection of short stories about local golfers.

Sport

Lahinch is home to the 36-hole

, founded in 1892. The original links was laid out by

Old Tom Morris Thomas Mitchell Morris (16 June 1821 – 24 May 1908), otherwise known as Old Tom Morris, and The Grand Old Man of Golf, was a Scottish golfer. He was born in St Andrews, Fife, the "home of golf" and location of the St Andrews Links, and died ...

Alister MacKenzie Alister MacKenzie (30 August 1870 – 6 January 1934) was a golf course architect whose course designs span four continents. Originally trained as a surgeon, MacKenzie served as a civilian physician with the British Army during the Boer War ...

, who co-designed

Augusta National Golf Club Augusta National Golf Club, sometimes referred to as Augusta or the National, is a golf club in Augusta, Georgia, United States. Unlike most private clubs which operate as non-profits, Augusta National is a for-profit corporation, and it does n ...

, redesigned and extended the links in 1927 for a fee of £2,000. Lahinch Golf Club is home to the South of Ireland Championship, an amateur golf tournament which began in 1895. It was also host to the

Dubai Duty Free Irish Open The Irish Open (currently known as the Horizon Irish Open for sponsorship reasons) () is a professional golf tournament on the European Tour. The Irish Open was first played in 1927 and was played annually, except for the war years, until 1950. ...

, in July 2019. Surfers on their way out to surf Lahinch, December 2012

Lahinch has become one of the foremost surfing locations in Ireland, and is home to a surfing school. On 14 May 2006, 44 surfers managed to ride one small wave, setting a new world record. Lahinch is also a location for other watersports including

kitesurfing Kiteboarding or kitesurfing is a sport that involves using wind power with a large power kite to pull a rider across a water, land, or snow surface. It combines aspects of paragliding, surfing, windsurfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, and wak ...

and

windsurfing Windsurfing is a wind propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the aerospace and surf culture of California. Windsurfing ga ...

. Lahinch Sea Rescue, an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

lifeboat service, provides protection for water-users. Moher Celtic and Sporting Ennistymon are the local soccer clubs. The clubs have underage teams from U8s up to U16s who play in the Clare Schoolboy/Girls Soccer League. The Youths and Junior A and B teams play in the Clare District Soccer League. The A team play in the Premier Division in the Clare District Soccer League and the B team play in the Third Division. The underage teams and only one of the Junior teams play their home fixtures in Lahinch Sportsfield. Mohers Celtics B team plays their fixtures at Liscannor Sportsfield while Sporting Ennistymon B team plays at Mullagh Sportfield. Other activities in the area include fishing, cycling, hiking, and pony trekking.

Transport

Bus

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

route 350 links Lahinch to several locations:

Ennis Ennis () 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 County Clare, with a population of 25,27 ...

Cliffs of Moher The Cliffs of Moher (; ) are sea cliffs located at the southwestern edge of the Burren region in County Clare, Ireland. They run for about . At their southern end, they rise above the Atlantic Ocean at Hag's Head, and, to the north, they ...

Doolin Doolin () is a coastal village in County Clare, Ireland, on the Atlantic coast. It is southwest of the spa town of Lisdoonvarna and 4 miles from the Cliffs of Moher. It is a noted centre of traditional Irish music, which is played nightly ...

Lisdoonvarna Lisdoonvarna () is a spa town in County Clare in Ireland. The town is famous for its music and festivals. Although the music festival was discontinued in the 1980s, Lisdoonvarna still hosts its annual matchmaking festival each September. The pop ...

and

. There are a number of journeys each way daily. Onward rail and bus connections are available at Ennis and Galway. Lahinch is also linked to

Doonbeg Doonbeg () is a village in west County Clare, 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, an Irish- ...

, Spanish Point,

Miltown Malbay Milltown Malbay (), also Miltown Malbay, is a town in the west of County Clare, Ireland, near Spanish Point. The population was 829 at the 2016 Census. Name There is a townland on the southern edge of the town called Poulawillin or Pollawillin ...

Kilfenora Kilfenora ( ga, Cill Fhionnúrach , meaning 'Church of the Fertile Hillside' or 'Church of the White Brow') is a village and a civil parish in County Clare, Ireland. It is situated south of the karst limestone region known as the Burren. Si ...

, Corofin and

by Route 333, with services running Monday to Saturday once daily.

Rail

Lahinch was formerly served by the narrow gauge

, which linked Kilrush,

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 pr ...

and

with

. The railway station opened on 2 July 1887; the entire line (including Lahinch station) closed on 1 February 1961. Nowadays

Ennis railway station Ennis railway station serves the town of Ennis in County Clare, Ireland. Ennis is the terminus station of the to Ennis Commuter service (intermediate stop ) and a station on the Limerick to Galway intercity service. Passengers for Dublin/C ...

is the nearest and

route 350 stops outside it.

Notable people

Lahinch is the birthplace of

Robert Dermot O'Flanagan Robert Dermot O'Flanagan (March 9, 1901 – December 31, 1972) was an Irish-born American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the first bishop of the Diocese of Juneau in Alaska from 1951 to 1968. Biography Early life Robert O'F ...

(1901-1972) who was Bishop of Juneau from 1951 to 1968 and professional

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

er Paddy Skerritt (1927-2001). Tom Frawley was the oldest Barman in Ireland until his death in September 2014.

Gallery

File:Lahinch 02.jpg, The waterfront in August 2005 File:Lahinch Promenade, Feb 2012.JPG, Lahinch promenade in February 2012 File:Lehinch, County Clare - geograph.org.uk - 53935.jpg, View of the town from the beach File:Lahinch Beach, March 2012.JPG, Looking out to sea at Lahinch beach

References

External links

Lahinch
at the Clare County Library Bus Services
Bus Éireann Route 350

Bus Éireann Route 333
{{Authority control Towns and villages in County Clare Surfing locations in Ireland Beaches of County Clare