| "Cliffs of Dooneen" | |
|---|---|
 Cliffs of Dooneen | |
| Song | |
| Songwriter(s) | Jack McAuliffe |
The "Cliffs of Dooneen" is an Irish ballad made famous by Planxty. It is often performed by Christy Moore. The song was written by Jack McAuliffe from Lixnaw, County Kerry about the cliffs around Dooneen Point near Beale, Kerry in the west of Ireland.
The mention of the west coast of County Clare and the towns of Kilkee and Kilrush have made the song a County Clare anthem, with the words "Cliffs of Dooneen" often changed to "Hills of Moveen", a location a few miles west of Kilkee. This has led to confusion over the location of the cliffs which some assume to be in Clare rather than in Kerry.
In September 2010 the confusion was mentioned in a lighthearted Irishman's Diary article [1] which provoked responses from the public in the follow-up article. [2]
Dooneen Point is clearly marked on the historic Ordnance Survey of Ireland map. [3] The cliffs themselves can also be seen from satellite photos. [4] [ better source needed ]
Some doubt the ability to see both Kilkee (on the north of the Clare peninsula) and Kilrush (on the south of the Clare peninsula) from North Kerry. The following photographs taken from the same spot show Beale, Kerry in the foreground with Clare towns in the distance.
The late Liam Buckley who was born in the cottage immediately adjacent to the Cliffs of Dooneen has stated the poem was penned by Jack McAuliffe who had travelled from Lixnaw to Beale to visit his sister. Jack had spent time with locals in the fields above and shore below the cliffs. He then visited Bill and Nell Buckley's cottage, known as "99" a few hundred metres away - for tea and scones. Liam was told by his mother (Jack's host) that the poem was written at the kitchen window of the cottage. Liam says the poem was put to music years later by a local musician. Liam did not know the date the poem was written but he remembers it from the 1930s.[ citation needed ]
A variation of Liam Buckley's account from Jack McAuliffe's niece also exists which suggests it was written in the adjoining cottage occupied by Bob Boyle. [5]
County Clare is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 127,938 at the 2022 census. The county seat and largest settlement is Ennis.
The West Clare Railway (WCR) originally operated in County Clare, Ireland, between 1887 and 1961. This 3 ft narrow-gauge railway ran from the county town of Ennis, via numerous stopping-points along the West Clare coast to two termini, at Kilrush and Kilkee, with the routes diverging at Moyasta Junction. The system was the last operating narrow gauge passenger system in Ireland and connected with the mainline rail system at Ennis, where a station still stands today for bus and train services to Limerick and Galway. Intermediate stops included Ennistymon, Lahinch and Milltown Malbay.
Kilkee is a small coastal town in County Clare, Ireland. It is in the parish of Kilkee, formerly Kilfearagh. Kilkee is midway between Kilrush and Doonbeg on the N67 road. The town is popular as a seaside resort. The horseshoe bay is protected from the Atlantic Ocean by the Duggerna Reef.
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 county. Kilrush is one of the listed Heritage Towns of Ireland. The area was officially classified as part of the West Clare Gaeltacht, an Irish-speaking community, until 1956.
Lahinch or Lehinch is a small town on Liscannor Bay, on the northwest coast of County Clare, Ireland. It lies on the N67 national secondary road, between Milltown Malbay and Ennistymon, roughly 75 kilometres (47 mi) by road southwest of Galway and 68 kilometres (42 mi) northwest of Limerick. The town is a seaside resort and is home to the Lahinch Golf Club. It has become a popular surfing location.
The Kerry Senior Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Kerry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1889 for the top hurling teams in the county of Kerry in Ireland.
The Clare Senior Football Championship is an annual Gaelic Athletic Association club competition organised by Clare GAA between the top twelve gaelic football clubs in County Clare, Ireland. The winners represent the county in the Munster Senior Club Football Championship, the winners of which progress to the semi-finals of the All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship. The Clare SFC final is generally held in the month of October and is played at Cusack Park in Ennis.
Loop Head, is a headland on the north side of the mouth of the River Shannon, in County Clare in the west of Ireland.
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 Irish-speaking community, until 1956.
Ballyduff G.A.A. is a Gaelic Athletic Association club in Ballyduff, Co Kerry, Ireland. The club fields both Hurling and Gaelic football teams. The club won the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final in 1891.
Lixnaw Hurling Club is a Gaelic Athletic Association club in the north of County Kerry, Ireland. They primarily play in competitions organised by the Kerry County Board of the GAA, such as the Kerry Senior Hurling Championship, and also in competitions organised by the North Kerry Hurling Board. The club is principally concerned with the game of hurling but many of their players also play gaelic football, many with Finuge. The club has won 9 Kerry Senior Hurling Championships, 10 Kerry Minor Hurling Championships and 5 Kerry Under-21 Hurling Championships.
Ballard is a townland in west County Clare, Ireland. It is on the N67 national secondary road between the urban areas of Doonbeg and Kilkee. The nearest large towns are Kilrush and Kilkee, which are approximately 10 and 5 miles away, respectively.
Kilmurry-Ibrickane GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club in County Clare, Ireland.
Shannon Gaels is the GAA club of Kilmurry McMahon/Labasheeda, County Clare. The name Shannon Gaels first appeared in 1940 but Gaelic Football has been played in the parish since 1887 under different names.
Seán Mór Seoighe was an Irish steward, stonemason, and builder. He was the ancestor of many of the Joyce families of County Kerry, County Limerick, and County Cork, including that of the author James Joyce, Patrick Weston Joyce and Robert Dwyer Joyce.
Moyasta is a hamlet in County Clare, Ireland, situated between Kilkee and Kilrush on the N67. The hamlet is bordered by the Moyasta River, flowing from the bogs to Poulnasherry Bay.
Doonbeg (Killard) (Irish: Cill Ard) is a civil parish on the Atlantic coast of County Clare in Ireland. It is also an ecclesiastical parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe. The largest population centre in the parish is the village of Doonbeg.
Kilballyowen is the name of both a civil parish and a townland within that parish in County Clare, Ireland. The name is also occasionally used for the slightly larger Catholic parish of Cross.
Kilkee, formerly Kilfearagh, is a parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe located in County Clare, Ireland. It lies on the Loop Head peninsula between the Atlantic ocean and the Shannon Estuary. The main settlement is the resort town of Kilkee. The parish contains many ruins, some dating to the early days of Christianity in Ireland.
The 2015 Clare Senior Football Championship was the 120th staging of the Clare Senior Football Championship since its establishment by the Clare County Board in 1887.
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