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Lahinch or Lehinch ( ''or'' ) is a small town on Liscannor Bay, on the northwest coast of County Clare,
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 and Dough Castle 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 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 Lahinch Golf Club 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
Lahinch is home to the 36-hole Lahinch Golf Club, founded in 1892. The original links was laid out by 
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
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
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
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...
. 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 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 ...
, 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 2 ...
. The town is a seaside resort and is home to the Lahinch Golf Club. 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
A leacht (plural: leachta) is a small square or rectangular stone structure often found in Early Irish Christian places of worship. They are typically made from rough, un mortared stones, and are most often found in monasteries on island off the w ...
) 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 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 and Dough Castle 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 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 Lahinch Golf Club 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 Moy House may refer to:
* Moy House, County Clare, an 18th-century house, now run as a hotel, in County Clare, Ireland
* Moy House, Moray, a ruined mansion in Moray, Scotland, designed by John Adam
{{disambiguation ...
, 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 Lahinch Golf Club, 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, 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 ...
, 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.
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
* Independe ...
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 subsidi ...
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 ...
, 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 ...
, Cliffs of Moher, Doolin, Lisdoonvarna and 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 ...
. 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 Iris ...
, Spanish Point, Miltown Malbay, Kilfenora, Corofin and 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 ...
by Route 333, with services running Monday to Saturday once daily.
Rail
Lahinch was formerly served by the narrow gauge West Clare Railway, which linkedKilrush
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 count ...
, Kilkee and Milltown Malbay with 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 ...
. 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 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 subsidi ...
route 350 stops outside it.
Notable people
Lahinch is the birthplace ofRobert Dermot O'Flanagan
Robert Dermot O'Flanagan (March 9, 1901 – December 31, 1972) was an Ireland, Irish-born American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the first bishop (Catholic Church), bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Juneau, Diocese of Jun ...
(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
Patrick Joseph Skerritt (29 May 1926 – 21 November 2001) was an Irish professional golfer.
Skerritt was born in Lahinch, County Clare. He won many tournaments during his career, most of them in his home country, with his biggest success ...
(1927-2001).
Tom Frawley was the oldest Barman in Ireland until his death in September 2014.
Gallery
See also
List of towns and villages in IrelandReferences
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