Hostels in Lahinch, Ireland

Lahinch, a popular seaside town in west County Clare on the Irish Atlantic coast, is about an hour's drive from Limerick and thirty minutes from the town of Ennis.

Surfing has put Lahinch on the tourism map in a big way in the past five years. With a number of beaches nearby, including Lahinch Beach itself, whenever there is swell, the crowds will descend on Lahinch and every second car arriving into town has a couple of surfboards strapped to the roof. There are a number of surf schools in the town; all hire boards and give lessons from vans parked in the car park down at the promenade. There is a reef break at the south end of the beach and other breaks nearby at Spanish Point and Doonbeg. Lahinch Beach is a fantastic, long beach that is perfect for walks. The tide comes all the way in at night up to the rocks. There is a marine aquarium for tourists.

Lahinch also has a world-class golf course. There is the old course and new course within Lahinch Golf Club itself and many other quality courses nearby. During summer when the surfers and golfers come to town, Lahinch provides live entertainment at the weekend where many of the bars such as Flanagans, The Corner Stone, and The Nineteenth have live musicians each night. It is also a popular venue for stag and hen parties. There are two nightclubs, although these are typical of small country towns. All of the action is set on the main street and in O’Looneys bar with the ocean just a hundred meters away.

Popular activities in the locality include trips to the Cliffs of Moher, a trip to the town of Doolin and Lisdoonvarna and something different includes a day trip to Inis Oirr of the Aran Islands, where the locals still speak Irish.

Your options for Lahinch hostels and guesthouses are limited -- and those that exist will book up quickly in summer if there is a swell. Lahinch is a popular place for a weekend and always gets great reviews from tourists.