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KILLINABOY AND COROFIN |
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Follow the road east from Leamaneh Castle and you'll reach
KILLINABOY , where a ruined eleventh- to fourteenth-century church has a
striking Sheila-na-gig over the doorway - a carving of a naked woman
with grotesquely exaggerated genitalia (sheila means "femininity", and
gig "breast") which was probably some kind of fertility symbol. They're
more usually found above castle doorways, and it may be that its siting
here was intended as a warning against the sins of the flesh. There are
a handful of pleasant B&Bs in the area, of which Fergus View (tel
065/683 7606; £40-55/¬50.79-69.84) is a welcoming option two miles north
of Corofin on the Kilfenora road.
From Killinaboy the road winds down into the more substantial village of
COROFIN , consisting of a handful of houses and a string of cheerful
pubs. It makes an excellent base from which to explore the Burren or to
enjoy fishing in the abundance of little lakes hereabouts. Lough
Inchiquin is particularly scenic and a detour around the lake and up
Clifden Hill affords spectacular views - you'll need your own transport
for this. The village is also home to the Clare Heritage Centre (April-Oct
daily 9.30am-5.30pm; Nov-March Mon-Fri 9am-5pm; tel 065/683 7955,
www.clareroots.com ), which portrays the traumatic period of Irish
history between 1800 and 1860 and fills in the horrors that the Bunratty
Folk Park omits: famine, disease, emigration and the issue of land
tenure. It also has a genealogy service for those with origins in the
county and holds details of over half a million people, McMahon,
Macnamara, Moloney and O'Brien being the most common names. If you want
to research your roots in detail, write to or email the centre a few
months before your trip and find out as much as possible before you
visit (names, dates, marriages, deaths, location, occupation, parish for
example). An initial search costs around £40-60, a full one £100-150.
Alternatively, the new library here is freely available: a morning spent
poring over records will probably convince you just why it's worth
paying a trained genealogist to do it for you.
You can stay here at the friendly, family-run Corofin Village Hostel
(IHH; tel 065/683 7683; the hostel may close, so phoning ahead is
advised), with its pleasant campsite . Traditional music is dished up
with tea and brown bread in summer at the village's pleasantly relaxed
teach cheoil (music house) in the main street (July & Aug Thurs 9pm; tel
065/683 7706; £3/¬3.81), in a lively evening suitable for families, with
set dancing. There is also bound to be music on in one of the pubs most
nights during the summer. Bofey Quinn's does good bar food - try their
Corofin Smokies, a kind of smoked fish and potato hotpot. Boats can be
hired from Burke's shop.
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