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County Clare - Feakle

Feakle main streetA small village in East Clare, like many of the rural villages it boasts the usual local school, church, few shops, pubs and local Post Office.

It has of late become more well known to those from outside the area, through the Feakle music festival which has has grown in both size and reputation in recent years.

The village both in the past and still to this day continues to produce its own fair share of excellent local traditional musicians.


One of Feakle's claims to fame is that the important Irish-language poet Brian Merriman is buried there. Merriman was an 18th century schoolmaster at nearby Kilclarin. His magnum opus is The Midnight Court, a zestful and irreverent satire on the church and state; the best translation is probably that of Frank O'Connor (Mercier Press).

It is regarded as one of the great works of Irish Literature, but was strongly disapproved of in the past because of its uninhibited sexual content.

Two festivals (q.v.), the Merriman Summer School and the Merriman Winter school, have lectures and readings fitted in around the drinking sessions.
  Sign about Brian Merriman on wall of Feakle graveyard

Feakle was also the home town of a famous 19th century wise woman or witch known as Biddy Early. She was both revered and feared. Numerous stories and legends have circulated about her and her 'blue bottle', which she used in a similar fashion to a 'crystal ball'. The ruins of her little thatched cottage can still be seen close to the village.

Feakle is situated in a region known as the 'Clare Lakelands', with some good coarse fishing in the many small local lakes.

Feakle may be approached via several different routes. Coming from the Gort direction, it can be found by taking the main Scariff (R461) road off the Gort - Ennis (N18) road. From the Ennis direction, one should take the Scariff (R352) road out of Ennis and shortly after Tulla take the Feakle road branching to the left - alternatively you could continue to Scariff and then back to Feakle (R461), but this is a much longer route.

There is a recyling station, accepting glass and a local Post Office (inc.Bureau De Change, phone credit top-up etc).

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Other towns of County Clare

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Cliffs of Moher
Burren
Lough Atoric