Lehinch · Co. Clare
A surf town about nine kilometres north of the Cliffs of Moher visitor centre where the Atlantic comes straight in and the golf course works with the dunes.
Lahinch is a Victorian seaside resort that never quite became a resort because the swell came in and the surfers arrived. It is about nine kilometres north of the Cliffs of Moher visitor centre - Hag's Head, the nearest point of the cliffs, is closer at around five kilometres - facing straight west into the Atlantic, and the water here is more interesting than the shops. Most of the year there is a swell here when there is not elsewhere.
The town has two identities that somehow coexist. The championship golf course sits on the dunes, serious and old-money. The beach breaks consistently for surfers. The promenade was built when Victorian seaside towns were a thing. Nobody came to those towns for the reasons the developers expected - the Cliffs of Moher became the draw instead - but the promenade is still here and still good for walking.
Come for the beach and stay for the trad sessions. The walking is good - up and down the cliff path north toward Doolin, out to the cliffs south. The food is serviceable. The pubs have tunes most weekends. Lahinch works because it stopped trying to be a resort and became what it actually is - a working beach town with a golf course.
