County Clare is a maritime county lying midway on the Mid West of Ireland. The county is bordered by the Atlantic to the west, the Shannon estuary to the south and Lough Derg on the east. The county boundary commences just east of the city of Limerick and runs in a north westerly direction to Galway Bay just north of the town of Gort. Neighbouring counties are Tipperary, Limerick, Kerry and Galway

The landscape of Clare is varied, from the rich pastureland of the Golden Vale by the Shannon River to the rugged lunar like stone pavements of the Burren region. On the eastern periphery of the County lie Lough Dreg and the wonderful hills of Clare by Killaloe, Scarriff and Tuamgraney. Southward beyond Kilmaley is rich bog land and sylvan terrain offering total contrast. Along the coast from Kilrush to the Cliffs of Moher is some beautiful coastline scenery, from the “Bridges of Ross” near Kilkee to the Cliffs of Moher which span the coastline for about 5 kilometres.

While the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren are Iconic landmarks that are much celebrated, the county has a trove of hidden roads and areas waiting to be discovered and enjoyed.

The majority of the county is limestone based and where land is good, the natural drainage provides rich pasture for grazing of animals. East of Ennis, in Quin and Newmarket on Fergus, there is a thriving equine industry in the rearing and training of horses for racing and eventing. Elsewhere, cattle farming is divided between dairying to the east and improver herds on the dry land close to the Burren area.

The population of Clare is just over 105,000 people in an area of 3,147km² (1,125 sq miles). The capital town is Ennis which contains the seat of local government - Clare County Council. Ennis has a population of 20,000. The other principal towns in the County are; Shannon 8560, Kilrush 2630, Enistymon 1000, Killaloe 1597, Kilkee 1328 Scarriff 1288, Quin 1,050 and Miltown Malbay 1553.

Most parts of the County are accessible through National Roads marked “N” on roadmaps e.g. “N85”. Smaller country roads are denoted with the letter “R”. Other roads or tracks may be prefixed with the letter “L” - these roads are tighter and usually not marked. They often serve specific locations. It is best to ask directions when using these roads as you can travel miles without seeing even a signpost.

The climate in Clare is moderate with temperatures generally around 5º – 10º Celsius (40º - 50º Fahrenheit) in winter and averaging about 19º Celsius (66º Fahrenheit) in the Summer. We generally do not get snow but we can often have gales up to 120kmph off the coast.