Things to do in Clare with kids

There are lots of things to do in Clare with kids and yet the county is often overlooked in favour of other parts of Ireland. 

County Clare offers historical attractions, fun family attractions and incredible scenery. It is a great addition to any Ireland itinerary. 

Things to do in Clare with kids

Bunratty Castle and Folk Park

Bunratty Folk Park in Co. Clare is an outdoor living museum attraction. 

The 26 acre park contains 30 different buildings from Ireland’s urban and rural history. There are shops, a church and houses ranging from one room thatched cottages to grand manor houses.

You can enter and explore the fully furnished buildings and many of them contain actors dressed in period costume who will tell you about their lives. There is a recreated 19th century street complete with a school, post office and pub serving drinks (including Guinness of course).  

Kids will enjoy the petting farm, outdoor adventure playground and woodland fairy trail. I liked the Regency era walled garden which was beautiful in summer and the little extras such as the roaming fiddler. 

The park is accessible with pushchairs, has an onsite cafe, shop, picnic area and toilets.

Bunratty Folk Park is one of the best things to do in Clare with kids and families will easily spend a full day here.

Bunratty Castle

If you are looking to visit castles in Clare, the 15th century Bunratty Castle should be top of your list. It looks like it belongs in a fairy tale and is one of the best preserved castles in Ireland.

Families can explore the great hall, bed chamber and a dungeon exhibition. The self guided tour has a lot of steps and some winding spiral staircases so it is not suitable for pushchairs. 

You cannot buy separate Bunratty Castle tickets; entrance to the castle is included in your Bunratty Folk Park entrance fee. 

Medieval Banquet at Bunratty Castle

During the summer months, tourists can enjoy a four course meal in the castle’s main hall. The medieval style banquet includes entertainment and a glass of legendary Bunratty Mead.

It starts at a family friendly time of 5.30pm (running until to 7.45 pm) and costs €63 for adults and €35 for children aged 4 – 10 years. Children under 4 are free.

Bunratty Castle and Folk Park tickets

Adults cost €15.25 and children aged 4 – 18 years cost €11.50. Visit as early as you can as the park gets very busy in peak season. We visited in August and for the first hour of the day had the park to ourselves. By lunchtime it was packed. 

In present Covid restrictions, tickets must be purchased online in advance here and for a given day and time slot. 

Cliffs of Moher

The Cliffs of Moher is one of Ireland’s most visited attractions. It is not a ‘child friendly attraction’, but it is worth visiting with kids.

These world famous cliffs are 200 metres high and run for eight kilometres along the Clare coastline.  It is free to view the cliffs but there is nowhere to park except for the fee paying car park.

There is a 800 metre paved and walled path leading to different viewpoints. If you have time, walk in both directions as you will get very different views. The enclosed path is doable by small children but they may not be able to see over the wall.

The path heading to the left of the cliffs is not paved and is not pushchair friendly. It is narrow and get congested with people.

The path leading to the right is wider and paved and has step free access to the side.

However busy the paths may be, heed the signs and do not to climb over the walls in order to get closer to the edge of the cliffs or away from the crowds. People have died falling from the Cliffs of Moher. 

Tips for visiting the Cliffs of Moher

Visit the Cliffs of Moher as early in the day as you can. We arrived at 9 am and there were only a few people in the car park. When we left two hours later the car park was full.

There is a small Cliffs of Moher visitors centre with a shop, cafe and toilets but, if you are visiting the cliffs when the weather is good, don’t go to the visitors centre first. The Cliffs of Moher weather is notoriously changeable so view them immediately if the weather is clear. We saw the Cliffs on our third visit!

If the cliffs are quiet, walk the path on the left first.

The Burren, County Clare

The Burren is the name given to a region of County Clare which forms the largest and most accessible limestone Karst area in the world. It is a rocky, wild landscape riddled with caves underground and unusual shapes and formations above ground. 

The Burren National Park

This small park is in the south west part of The Burren. Like the Cliffs of Moher, The Burren National Park may not seem child friendly but I was surprised how interested our children were in the rock formations, limestone pavement and weird shapes around them. 

The Burren National Park is very low key. There isn’t a car park and there are no facilities. Visitors park on the side of the road where waiting rangers will give you tips on which walks to follow.

If you would like to know how this UNESCO Geopark was formed and its history, visit the Burren Centre exhibition in Kilfenora. A family of five entrance ticket costs €20.

Walks in The Burren

There are seven walks to do in The Burren National Park ranging from easy 30 minute walks to more challenging 3 hour hikes. Download a map of the walks here.

None of the trails are wheelchair or pushchair friendly. Bring plenty of water, snacks and sunscreen as there are no facilities.  There is very little shade and the rocks reflect summer heat. 

Wear sturdy, closed toe footwear for your Burren walk, especially with kids. Watch your step as the limestone pavement is riddled with crevices. 

The Burren surprised me. At times the grey landscape felt other worldly and then we rounded a bend to abundant wildflower meadows. This the only location in the world where Mediterranean, Alpine and Arctic plants all grow in the same place and the meadows were stunning when we visited in August.

Father Ted’s House

If you are old enough to know and love Father Ted (like me!) you can see Father Ted’s house in The Burren.

Glanquin Farmhouse, in Lackareagh, is a couple of miles from The Burren National Park. It doubles as Father Ted’s parochial house on fictional Craggy Island.

The house is privately owned so you cannot get close to it. There is no parking on the side of the road and no stopping allowed so your selfie will have to be very quick. My kids couldn’t understand why I was excited to see a big grey house! 

Doolin

Lying on the edge of The Burren and on the Wild Atlantic Way, the small town of Doolin has an idyllic location. It is known for its scenery, historical sites and the home of traditional Irish music. If you want to hear live Irish music on your trip to Ireland, make a stop in Doolin. 

Things to do in Doolin

The Doolin cliff walk is a scenic trail that takes around 3 hours to complete. Walk carefully as the unfenced trail follows the edge of the cliff. 

It is possible to walk from Doolin on the coastal path to the Cliffs of Moher from where you can catch a bus back to Doolin. The path climbs up to 230 metres (O’Brien’s Tower is the highest point of the walk) and down again so it would be a challenging walk for children. 

You can use the start of this trail to walk to Doonagore Castle, a short 1 kilometre walk from Doolin. The 16th century round tower house is straight out of a Disney movie but is not open to the public and there is no parking on site. 

Reward foot sore kids with a stop at Doolin Chocolate Shop, an outlet shop for Wilde Irish Chocolates. I guarantee you won’t leave empty handed!

End a perfect day in Doolin with a traditional Irish music session,  a ‘must’ experience on a visit to Ireland.

Most pubs in Doolin start their sessions at 8pm but if you wish to find an earlier time to suit your kids, there are some afternoon or early evening sessions. Find the right session for you here. 

Doolin Cave 

One of the most famous caves in Ireland, Doolin Caves is home to the largest stalactite in Europe, aptly named ‘The Great Stalactite.’

It measures. 7.3 metres long and weighs around 10 tonnes. The cave was formed 350 million years ago but was discovered quite recently in 1952. 

Visitors must don a hard hat and join a guided tour to descend 125 steps to explore the cave, 200 feet below ground.  Tours run every hour and last approximately 50 minutes but the tours are not pushchair friendly. 

The cave will be exciting and fun for kids and it is one of the best things to do in Clare with kids on a rainy day.

Doolin Cave tickets

Adults cost €17.50 and children aged 3 – 16 years cost €8.50. 

Doolin to Aran Islands 

Take a day trip – or longer – from Doolin to the Aran Islands.

Doolin Ferry operates five trips a day from Doolin Pier to Inis Oírr and four trips daily to Inis Mor and Inis Meain. Journey times vary from 15 -35 minutes each way depending on the island you visit. 

The company also runs the Cliffs of Moher ferry, a one hour sightseeing trip. It is possible to combine your trip to the Aran islands with this sightseeing trip. Kids will get to the see the famous sea cave from ‘Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince’. 

Ailwee Cave

Kids will enjoy the 30 minute guided cave tours at Ailwee Cave, which is one of the oldest of Ireland’s caves.  You will explore chambers and chasms with unusual limestone formations and an underground waterfall. Visitors can also enjoy walks in The Burren outside the cave.

There is a tearoom, shop and toilets on site and the cafe terrace has fantastic views over Galway Bay. 

Burren Bird of Prey Centre 

On the same site as Ailwee Cave, The Burren Bird of Prey centre has daily bird of prey flying displays.

The centre is dedicated to Raptor conservation and entrance fees goes towards running costs. Visitors can also take part in one hour Hawk Walks. 

Ailwee Cave and Bird of Prey ticket prices

A ticket for Ailwee Cave costs €5 and it is cheaper to buy online than  in advance. 

The Burren Bird of Prey Centre costs €5. 

A combined ticket for both attractions costs €9.

Lahinch Beach 

Lahinch Beach is a Blue Flag, 2 kilometre stretch of golden sandy beach lying at the head of Liscannor Bay.

The beach is easy to access as you can park in the fee paying car park directly behind the beach.

I’d recommend walking along the promenade before finding your spot on the beach as the section near the car park gets busy. We walked for ten minutes and had a glorious stretch of beach all to ourselves. 

Keep an eye on the tide times as most of the sand on Lahinch Beach disappears at high tide (hence the promenade). If you want to swim in the Atlantic, swim in a lifeguard patrolled section as the currents here are strong. 

Bring your binoculars to Lahinch beach. We saw a variety of birds (due to nearby wetlands) but also spotted a pod of dolphins close to the shore. 

Lahinch surfing

The crescent shape of Liscannor Bay and Atlantic Ocean swells create ideal surfing conditions and Lahinch beach has become one of Ireland’s premier surfing spots.

There are several surf schools in Lahinch offering taster sessions and surfing courses for children aged 9 and older. Lahinch surf school offers two hour family surfing lessons for €40 and weekend summer surfing camps. Learning to surf in the Atlantic Ocean is one a memorable thing to do in Clare with kids.

Shannon Aviation Museum

This small museum is a must for airplane fans. There are jet engines and 11 complete aircraft on display and several cockpits that you can sit in.

The museum has seasonal opening times so check the website before visiting. 

For budding pilots aged 8 and over, there is the option of an Aviation Discovery Tour. The 2.5 hours guided tour with your own flying instructor includes explanation of how planes fly, the aircraft in the museum and a simulated flying lesson (for which you have the option to dress up). 

Atlantic Air Adventures also operates from this site and offer flight simulations and training courses for adults. 

Shannon Aviation Museum ticket prices

An Aviation Discovery Tour costs €35 per participant. 

General admission to the museum costs €12 for adults, €9 for students and seniors and €6 for under 12’s. 

Loop Head 

The Loop Head peninsula can be explored on foot, by bike or by car and is one of the most dramatic stretches of the Wild Atlantic Way. 

A complete Loop Head drive takes around two hours without stops so allocate at least half a day for this spectacular road trip, more if you wish to hike and visit the lighthouse.

Bring your binoculars for bird and dolphin spotting.

Loop Head Lighthouse

The Loop Head Lighthouse stands on the Loop Head peninsula on the north side of the River Shannon. It is 90 metres tall and was built in 1854 although there have been lighthouses here since the 17th century. 

There are guided tours of the lighthouse and you can climb to the viewing balcony at the top. Tours are limited to 15 people and run every 30 minutes during opening hours.

Due to the number of steps in the tour and the enclosed spaces, the tour is not suitable for pushchairs and may not be suitable for very young children.

Check opening hours in advance of your visit and book ticket online here. 

There are lots of things to do in Clare for families and, as a lesser visited destination, you may have some of them to yourself.

Check out my post on the best things to do in Wicklow with kids here.