The Shannon Region has so so much on offer that the choices are endless. Head to the water whether beach, river or lake; take a leisurely drive, visit any one of over 100 visitor attractions; take a stroll in a forest, park or formal garden; go dolphin watching or take a boat trip; take a bus tour of the Region - the choices are yours.

Festival and Events | Castles to Cottages | Things to See | Things To Do | Culinary

Festivals and Events

There are hundreds of festivals and sporting events throughout the year in the Shannon Region. Here you can join the local Irish as they enjoy Irish life and culture. Events range from music and match-making festivals to summer schools and horse racing festivals.

Limerick River Fest This year's expanded festival programme sees the return of the established favorites such as the River Shannon-igans, River Feast International BBQ Competition, the European Market, Riverfest Global Beats and the River Fringe Arts Trail.
Great Irish Nights: While you can experience Irish music and dance throughout the Region, worthy of mention include: “The Traditional Irish Music Nights” in the great barn in Bunratty Folk Park. Here you will dine while enjoying Irish music, song and dance. The Glór - Irish Music Centre in Ennis, Co. Clare is a superb new theatre and concert venue and features the country's top musicians in a friendly, intimate theatre setting. There is great diversity in their programming – with great quality entertainment the only common thread.
Music Pubs: The Shannon Region is renowned for traditional music, song and dance. Throughout the year Irish music and entertainment can be experienced in our pubs, music venues, community centres and on our streets, particularly during festivals.
Concerts: The best concert venues are the University of Limerick Concert Hall; Dolans Music Warehouse in Limerick City and the Glór Theatre in Ennis. Other venues include LIT Millennium Theatre, Limerick and the Irish Harp Centre.
Theatre: The Shannon Region Theatre plays host to some of Ireland’s leading theatre companies and touring groups and the venues include the Belltable Arts Centre in Limerick City; The Glor Music Centre in Ennis, Co. Clare; LIT Millennium Theatre, Limerick; Friar's Gate Theatre, Kilmallock, Co. Limerick; Island Theatre Company, Limerick and the Birr Theatre & Arts Centre in Co. Offaly.
MBNA Shannon International Music Festival Limerick, July 9-13, 2008 There is a carnival flavour to this year’s festival as salsa, tango, trad and jazz are added to the mix of solo, chamber and orchestral performances for a five-day fusion of musical excellence.

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Where To Stay

The selection of accommodation in the Shannon region is simply outstanding with lodgings to suit every taste and pocket.

Adare Manor

Adare Manor Hotel & Golf Resort is delighted once again to play host to the Irish Open Golf Championship from the 15th to the 18th of May 2008 and again in 2009. Last year, Ireland’s Padraig Harrington thrilled the galleries with his nail-biting play-off victory over Welshman Bradley Dredge, becoming the first Irishman to lift the trophy in 25 years. This world famous course designed by Robert Trent Jones Snr, has challenged the world’s premier golfers and is currently ranked as Ireland's number one Parkland Course.

Adare Manor Story Ideas…..

Horse and Hound welcome, we recommend this welcome to all visiting groups. There are usually 4 horses and 20 hounds that lead your guest from the gates to the Manor House. It is a great photo opportunity for your guest’s arrival.

The Minstrels Gallery the second longest banqueting hall in Ireland, at 132 foot long this room is truly unique, it is based on the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles and is flanked on either side with 17th century Flemish Choir stalls. The perfect setting for a wedding reception or gala dinner.

Our history as a calendar house, we have 365 glass windows one for every day of the year, 52 chimneys one for every week of the year. Try and find 7 for the days of the week, 12 for the months of the year and 4 for the seasons in the year.

Estate Activities, there are a wide range of activities to choose from such as Historical Tours, Nature Trails, Cookery demonstrations, Wine Tasting, Whisky Tasting, Archery, Fishing on the River Maigue which flows through the resort, Laser Clay Target Shooting and Horse riding.

French Formal Gardens - Laid out in the 1850's by the architect PC Hardwick, he was employed to oversee the completion of the Manor house.

Ten ways to propose at Adare Manor - A list of the most romantic locations on this vast estate.

Art Collection - We have quite a large collection of paintings by Peter Ellenshaw a famous American artist.

Limerick is the home of National Hunt Racing in Ireland, our resort is only a ten minute drive from Limerick Racecourse.

The owner of our property Mr Kane is a former Marine.

The village of Adare is famous for its wide street lined with thatched cottages. Our 840 acre estate is located in the heart of the village.

There are several Monasteries and Churches in the village of Adare, the history of these buildings can be traced in the Heritage Centre in the village.

The Veterans Memorial - the bronze monument on the lawn in front of the manor house is a memorial given by the Kane family to honour those Irish born men and women who, over the years have served in the armed forces of the United States. The memorial was cast in triplicate, one stands in downtown Denver, Colorado with the third installed at the National Cemetery in Riverside, California.

Town and Country Homes Association

Ireland’s biggest B&B organisation has formally launched its new multi-lingual website and live booking engine - www.townandcountry.ie - as part of a technological revolution for the sector.

So what is an Irish B&B Experience all about?

It is where you will:
Experience the warm & friendly welcome of the Irish people. Savour the experience of staying in an Irish Family Home. Draw on the local knowledge of your host. Enjoy the unique one to one experience, where more time is spent with you the visitor.
Learn more about local Irish traditions and culture.
Benefit from the convenient locations in towns, cities and the countryside across the island.

County Arms Hotel, Birr

The County Arms Hotel in Birr County Offaly is perfect for conferences, weddings, luxurious weekends away, scenic tours, business meetings and seminars. Pamper yourself in the new leisure club and experience luxury accommodation with quality service.

Touring Georgian Birr, Birr Castle and the midlands is easy and activities include: golf, horse-riding, walking and historical tours. Our website is constantly updated with special offers, spa breaks and weekend packages.

Clarion Hotel

The ship-shaped Clarion Hotel Limerick is not only a breathtaking piece of architecture, but it is also Ireland's Tallest Hotel, boasting an idyllic location on the River Shannon waterfront in Limerick City Centre. Located on Steamboat Quay, Limerick this 17-storey hotel combines architectural mastery with warm interiors and exceptional service. Inside the hotel, warm shades mingle to create a calming environment in a contemporary fashion.

Five years ago this new landmark settled alongside the River Shannon's historic waters in Limerick city centre. The Clarion Hotel Limerick which soars 200 feet high and is the second tallest building in the county has redefined the standard of four star hotels in Ireland. As a hotel facility, as well as a building, it will inevitably play a major role in Limerick for years to come.

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Things To See

Ireland's Shannon Region - Scenic Areas & Drives

The Shannon Region extends from the wild Atlantic coasts of Counties Clare to the equally dramatic but usually placid lowlands of the Shannon valley and the great midland bogs, lakes and wetlands.

Much of it, far from the regular tourist honeypots, is the preserve of visitors whose first love is heritage and landscape. Other parts, such as the Cliffs of Moher, draw the crowds because of their spectacular beauty. But even these have space enough to accommodate those that want to enjoy them in peace and solitude.

Richly Endowed with Great Attractions

One of the great appeals of the Shannon Region is that it is richly endowed with a range of visitor attractions that provides the visitor with a wide choice of opportunity for enjoyment, whatever the weather. The Region's attraction includes castles, folk parks, show-caves, museums, water-worlds, sea-life centres, pet-farms, boat trips and much more.

Some like Holy Cross Abbey in Tipperary, have been bequeathed to us out of a colourful history, and lovingly restored. Others like famed Bunratty Folk Park or the Craggaunowen Bronze-Age Project, are faithful recreations of the living conditions enjoyed by our ancestors in both the recent and distant past.

The Incredible Burren

The Burren is a karstic plateau - a stony chaos to the casual observer - with a full assemblage of the curious landforms that characterise such limestone landscapes. The region encompasses 360 km2 of gently inclined plateau with a further 200 km2 of lowland to the east of the plateau.

Shannon Region Gardens, Parks and Forests

Ireland has an enviable reputation for the variety of plants, shrubs and trees which its weather, softened by the Gulf Stream, allows to flourish in the most unusual of places. The Shannon Region has many beautifully designed and maintained gardens which are open to the public, from the formal and grand to the more relaxed private garden.

Shannon Region

The Shannon development tourism group works with a range of tourism partners to develop and enhance the visitor facilities of the region and to promote specific products in order to stimulate tourism growth in counties Clare, Limerick, North Tipperary and South Offaly. The company's work is complementary to that of Failte Ireland and Tourism Ireland which are responsible for actively marketing and promoting Ireland as a whole to overseas visitors.

Shannon Development's primary role is to initiate and support tourism development as a key element in the achievement of overall economic growth throughout the Shannon region.

Shannon Development Story Ideas…….

A letter to Marge

The Spirit of Shannon

Shannon - the name is synonymous with a warm welcome to Ireland and with international travel. Famed for being the cradle of trans-Atlantic aviation and home to Irish coffee, Shannon Airport offers the perfect introduction to the enchanting Shannon Region that surrounds it. This is a region of great charm and natural beauty, where the majestic River Shannon and the mighty Atlantic Ocean are just two of the stunning features.

Here you will find everything a discerning visitor might wish for in a year-round vacation destination. There's great scenery and breathtaking variety to enjoy, from spectacular seascapes and lunar-like landscapes to lush pasturelands and idyllic lakes. Your stay can be as active or relaxing as you decide. Choose from a range of interesting activity options, from world-class golf and equestrian pursuits to watersports and adventure facilities. Or just simply unwind by taking a leisurely trip through the countryside to explore ancient castles or feel the fresh Atlantic breeze in your face on a golden beach.

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Things To Do

Thanks to nature, the finest blend of links and parkland courses in Ireland are probably in the Shannon Region. The Region covers counties Clare, Limerick, North Tipperary and South Offaly and has 25 quality courses, from natural links or parkland terrain, offering our visiting golfers an extensive choice and outstanding challenge.

On the west coast of Clare lies Lahinch, a legendary links course established in 1892. The Old Lahinch Course is a formidable challenge in a spectacular setting. The South of Ireland Championships is held there annually. Across the road the Lahinch Castle Course provides a slightly less challenging option.

Just further south, is the Doonbeg Golf Resort, opened in 2002.

Doonbeg

• Doonbeg Golf Club may be the last true links course built in either Ireland or Great Britain.

• The site is along 1.5 miles of crescent-shaped beach and dunes. The ocean is visible from the green, fairway, or tee of 16 of the 18 holes. The dunes, centuries old, reach almost 100 feet.

• Two-time British Open champion Greg Norman is the course architect, selected for both his design skill and his "least disturbance" philosophy of routing courses to fit existing terrains.

• Norman's layout follows a course designed by nature - 14 of Doonbeg's greens and 12 of its fairways were simply mowed. The fairways and greens consist of native grasses, including fine fescues, bentgrass, and ryegrass.

• The par-72 layout features a single loop of nine holes out and nine back. It plays 6,885 yards from the back tees. The most natural routing within the existing dunes resulted in an uncommon combination of five par-3s and five par-5s.

Shannon Cruising - A Lifetime Experience

The River Shannon and its magnificent lakes - one of the largest amongst them is Lough Derg - combine to form one of Europe's finest navigable inland waterways. You can hire and captain your own fully-equipped and beautifully furnished luxury cruiser and, with the minimum of tuition, the mighty Shannon is yours to explore and enjoy.

Take a boat tour to meet the Shannon Dolphins

Huge and utterly delightful, dolphins love to watch people and people love to watch dolphins. The lower reaches of the Shannon Estuary is home to just one of six resident populations of dolphins and is one of Europe's most convenient spots for observing these wonderful creatures in the wild.

Cycling the Shannon Region

A mulitude of roads a minimum of traffic, this is Shannon Region's offering to the visitor with a bike. There are country roads leading to seaside coves, stopping places by lake and rivers, and to mountain tops.

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Culinary

A Taste of Shannon

The Shannon Region is brimful of dining opportunities for people of all ages and ranges from medieval banquets, through to great pub food and fabulous fine dining in the city of Limerick.

One experience not to be missed, while in the Shannon Region, is the unique Shannon Heritage Medieval Banquet entertainments at Bunratty, Knappogue and Dunguaire Castles. These castles were once the splendid homes of noble medieval lords, today, they are the imposing venues for nights of revelry, fine food and wine.

Where does all this wonderful fare come from? It comes from the raft of wonderful producers that dot the Shannon region.

Smoking thrills

The Burren Smokehouse in County Clare is home to the wonderful smoked produce of Peter and Birgitta Curtin. Their succulent smoked salmon comes from Galway, while the organic version is sourced off Clare Island, Co. Mayo. Locally caught mackerel and Clare cheeses are also smoked here, and the visitors’ shop showcases many Irish foods and crafts. For more information visit www.goodfoodireland.ie

Peter Ward, Country Choice

Peter & Mary Ward’s passion for good food is palpable as soon as you enter their wonderfully buzzy eatery and deli in Nenagh. Whether you’re lunching over Peter’s infamous Beef & Guinness Casserole or simply popping in to take home some of Mary’s divine homemade chutneys, jams, preserves and dressings.

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