Fishing and water sports

The Lakes, rivers and streams in Clare are rich in salmon, brown trout and a wide variety of coarse fish, including pike, bream, tench and rudd, whilst the gentle waters of Galway Bay are a haven for sea angling.

Dotted with almost 40 lakes, the lakelands of East Clare have quality services and facilities for the angler.

The unrivalled asset of Lough Derg and the Shannon waterway provide world-class water skiing and other water sport facilities, including cruising, sail boarding, canoeing and game and coarse angling.

On the Southern shores of Galway Bay, Ballyvaughan harbour offers pleasure craft including an expanding sailing fleet and is a starting point for boat trips to the islands. Mountshannon is a noted angling centre and has also become an outstanding sailing location. The new, greatly extended, harbour is one of the principal stopping places on the lake for hire- cruisers and other boats, as well as providing an access point for the Iniscealtra Sailing Club's numerous craft moored offshore. The Waters off Doolin make good angling.

Corofin is right at the heart of a lake-complex, which forms part of the Fergus headwaters and offers excellent coarse and game fishing.

Towards Gort are Loughs Atedaun, Ballyporty, Callaun, Ballyeighter, and Bunny. The extensive area between Feakle and Corofin ("An Angler's Paradise") is renewed for its angling and is known as the Clare Lakelands.

Killaloe should be mentioned for its importance as a fishing and boating centre. There are facilities for sailing and water-skiing and a large marina. Killaloe is also a base for a number of hire-cruiser companies.

O'Brien's Bridge is a noted centre for coarse angling.

Cullaun Lake offers good sailing and the surrounding woods have forest walks and a lakeside picnic site.

One of the largest of the Shannon hire- cruiser enterprises is based at Portumna Doonbeg is at the mouth of the Cooraclare or Doonbeg River, close to the beaches of Seafield, Lough Donnell and Quilty. All of these beaches provide good shore angling for pollock, bass and mackerel.

In Quilty boats may be hired for deep-sea angling, rated amongst the finest in Ireland.

The clean clear waters off the Atlantic coast are perfect for bathing, snorkelling and scuba diving. A little further afield, there are shark, skate and tope to test the mettle of the deep sea enthusiast.

80 bottlenose dolphins live in the Shannon estuary. These magnificent mammals can he observed, on mrost days, feeding travelling or playing.
Dolphin watch trips operate daily from Carrigaholt Pier and Kilrush.