festivals clare

The area of County Clare is known for its music and musical talent. Traditional Irish music is alive and well in County Clare. It’s a great area for the trad sessions, great craic in Irish pubs, singing and dancing. There are a large number of festivals every year in County Clare, We are mentioning a few we like to often attend ourselves!!!

We have also attached a link to a list of all festivals in County Clare. Festivals are great craic, and In Ireland, we love a good festival, what’s better than the sun batting down on top of you, loud live Traditional music playing and 6 creamery pints arriving on a tray!!!

Going to an event in County Clare is a great way to experience Ireland culture and to have the craic.

Willie Clancy Music Festival

The Willie Clancy Festival is one of the biggest events in County Clare. It goes on for a full week in Miltown Malbay every year, the pubs are packed with musicians, and the craic is mighty!! Willie Clancy dies in 1973, he was born in Clare and he started playing the tin whistle aged 5 years old. He moved onto and mastered the traditional flute and the Uilleann pipes. He was a master of his trade.

The festival is running for many years and it’s a great boost to the local economy in Miltown Malbay. Miltown Malbay is about a 30-minute drive from the Cliffs of Moher. The Willie Clancy festival is full of music sessions, you will hear the Irish tin whistle, the Flue, The Bodhran and the fiddle. This event is great fun, it showcases Irish music and culture in a wonderful festival that you should go to if you are visiting County Clare or the Cliffs of Moher.

The Matchmaker Festival Lisdonnvarna

The matchmaker festival takes place in Lisdoonvarna each year in the month of September. The famous matchmaker Willie Daly performs his magic at the festival every day. The event features lots of live music acts playing all types of music in local hotels and bars. There is lots of set dancing in the Irish pubs in Lisdoonvarna. There are lots of nice places to stay in Lisdonnvana, please see our Accommodation page for more info. The festival goes for around 3 weeks, this craic is mighty in the pubs for this Festival.

One of Willie Daly’s quotes is “Love is waiting there for everyone, its there just waiting be found”. The festival attracts large groups of people every year, dancers, camper vans, and young and old people looking for love. The pubs are packed with people having the craic, dancing and singing until the early hours of the morning. If you looking for love, this is the festival to go to.

This event is the largest of its kind in Europe and a great way to experience the fun and craic of Irish culture. Lisdoonvarna is located about a short 15-minute drive from the Cliffs of Moher.

The Doolin Folk Festival

This super retro Folk festival takes place in June every year in the wonderful little area of Doolin. The events provide great music acts, in a wonderful location. The area of Doolin gets a great boost to the local economy. The event is full of musical talent and some big names in music. This music event is perfect if you want to experience real craic in Ireland.

The festival takes place out the back of Hotel Doolin with lots of amenities close by. The festival has super cool chilled hay bales turned in seating areas. Doolin is a great spot to spend a night or a weekend and if you are lucky enough to be in Doolin for this festival, you have it give it a try, it won’t disappoint. The festival features lovely local craft beers, pop-up shops and a hot lineup. The festival features the Horse sessions and local talent. It’s the place to experience Craic Agus Ceol at its very best!!!

The Father Ted Festival

This fun event takes place in the summer months in County Clare every year. Father Ted was hugely popular on TV in Ireland and the UK. The event is full of fun things to do, it runs for 3 nights. It’s a great way to meet people and have the craic.

The Father Ted Festival features Tea and cakes in the famous Father Ted’s house. You can travel by ferry to the Aran Islands as part of the festival, and relive some Father Ted episodes. There’s a fancy dress party where everybody dresses up as nuns and priests and a karaoke event.

There is live music and a big screen showing Father Ted-related stuff. You can meet the famous matchmaker Willie Daly too, and maybe find love at the father Ted Festival. There are activities in the Burren Smoke House in Lisonnvarna as part of the funky event.

The Brian Boru Festival

The Brian Born festival takes place in the area of Killaloe and Ballina County Clare in the summer months. The event is in honour of Brian Boru Ireland’s greatest High King, a legend who drove the Vikings out of Ireland. The event is very good for families with a lot of family-focused activities.

The event features fireworks, archery and a traditional family fun day. The Brain Boru festival offers walks and talks, Strut your Mutt day and swimming activities. Killaloe is about a 1 hour and 30 minutes drive via Ennis from the Cliffs of Moher. The event held in the village of Killaloe has sailing and boating activities and lots of nice Irish pubs.

Carrigaholt Oyster and Trad Music Festival

There is one thing for sure, this event is based on Oysters, matched with a cold creamy pint of Guinness you can beat it. Oysters with olive oil, lemon juice and a pint of Guinness just hits the spot. It’s like a match made in heaven, one works with the other. The Carrigaholt Oyster and music event is held in May and June each year. Carrigaholt is located about a 1 hour and 15-minute drive from the Cliffs of Moher.

The event features fresh Irish Oysters, served with lemon and salt and pepper and watched down with a pint. The event has a Carrigholt Oyster Shucking Champion event, this is great fun. There are lots of streets and good tunes. Traditional music is played by some Irish musicians playing all types of Irish musical instruments, It is truly an enjoyable event in the beautiful location of Ireland.

The Burren Slow Food Festival

The Burren slow Food festival showcases all things about Irish food and food in County Clare. The event takes place near Doolin County Clare. The event has lots of small food producers, that produce really good food. In Ireland, we have lots of good food. The festival takes place in May and has lots of tasty food on offer. The Burren region has some interesting seafood-based food.

The Burren Slow Food Festival allows people to ask all kinds of questions and taste a large number of different food samples. It’s a foodie’s paradise. This food event has a fun trip to one of the Aran Islands for a session of seafood, that one thing we have lots of in Ireland is surrounded by water, we have lots of seafood.

Doonbeg International Jazz Festival

This Jazz music festival is a great event for jazz sessions. The Doonbeg international festival features excellent bands beating out jazz tunes. The event takes place in Doonbeg which is about a 50-minute drive from the Cliffs of Moher. The is a children’s music night at the event.

The craic is mighty at the event Doonbeg is all jazzed up!! This funky event celebrates over 20 years of jazz in Doonbeg and is free to attend. The event takes place in the summer months. Doonbeg is home to one of Ireland’s best hotels and golf course, the Trump International Doonbeg. Jazz bands from all over Ireland travel to the event to showcase their musical talent and entertain locals as well as lots of tourists attending the event each year.