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The village of DOOLIN , four miles north of the Cliffs of Moher and marked as "Fisherstreet" on some maps, is for many the music mecca of the "singing county", and in fact of Ireland's west. By the time you get here, you'll no doubt already have met a good few traditional music enthusiasts on their way from across northern Europe, and there are extra buses laid on to bring them here. This said, it is not necessarily the best place for top traditional sessions - these tend to move around - but you are guaranteed to find some kind of merriment in each of Doolin's three pubs ( O'Connor's, McGann's and McDermott's ) every night throughout the year. The music varies enormously and you may come across anything from a bunch of amplified performers doing a medley of Eurovision classics to the kind of fabulous session you'll remember for the rest of your life. Bearing this in mind, the key to getting the best out of Doolin is to remember that if you stumble into a poor session, there are two other bars nearby. Without the music, Doolin would be a rather forlorn and desolate place, lodged as it is beside a treacherous sandy beach at the tail end of the coast that climaxes with the Cliffs of Moher. Bold shelves of limestone pavement step into the sea by the pier, from which a ferry (tel 065/707 4455) runs to Inisheer (mid-April to late Sept 1-6 daily; single GBP10/?12.70, return GBP15/?19.05) and Inishmore (mid-April to late Sept 1-2 daily; single GBP10/?12.70, return GBP20/?25.70), and to Inishmaan (mid-May to Aug 1-2 daily; return GBP18/?22.86). If you want more than a couple of hours on the islands - and this is a very good idea - then day trips are only really feasible to Inisheer. It is possible to sail from Doolin to all three islands and then on to Galway or return to Doolin (GBP20/?25.70; bikes GBP2/?2.54) . Music may be Doolin's raison d'etre , but the village is now ruthlessly geared to providing accommodation for as many visitors as it's possible to squeeze into the place's three pubs. There's plenty of B&B accommodation on offer in Doolin; all are reasonably priced and offer a decent standard. Seacrest (tel 065/707 4458; GBP33-40/?41.90-50.79) is located towards the pier, offering wild, blustery views of the coast, as is Atlantic View (tel 065/707 4189; GBP40-55/?50.79-69.84). A couple of smart, and fairly new, B&Bs are behind O'Connor's pub: Fisherman's Rest (tel 065/707 4673; GBP33-40/?41.90-50.79) and Lane Lodge (tel 065/707 4747; GBP26-33/?33.01-41.90). Other good options are found along the road between the three pubs, including: Riverfield House (tel 065/707 4113; GBP33-40/?41.90-50.79), Doolin House (tel 065/707 4259; GBP33-40/?41.90-50.79), The Horseshoe (tel 065/707 4006; GBP40-55/?50.79-69.84), O'Connor's itself (tel 065/707 4314; GBP33-40/?41.90-50.79), and just behind the Aille River Hostel , Doolin Cottage (tel 065/707 4762; under GBP26/?33.01). Despite their number, the hostels do get packed in July and August, so ringing ahead is essential. Paddy's Doolin hostel is near O'Connor's pub (IHH; tel 065/707 4006), and is an efficiently run option; further north along the same road is The Rainbow Hostel (IHH; tel 065/707 4415), a welcoming and well-run place. Other hostels include the friendly and laid-back Aille River Hostel (IHH; tel 065/707 4260), and Flanagan's Village Hostel (IHH; tel 065/707 4564), a family-run hostel with excellent facilities, comfy beds and great views, five minutes' walk north out of the village. There's camping down by the pier at Nagle's (closed late Sept to April; tel 065/707 4458) - a great spot to absorb the drama of the landscape - and near the Aille River Hostel at Riverside Camping (closed Oct-April; tel 065/707 4314). You'll find a fair selection of places to eat here besides the pubs, which all do filling, good-value bar meals. The Magnet , near O'Connor's Bar , serves tasty filled crepes, though the service is painfully slow; nearby is a shop selling filled rolls and other picnic provisions. At the far north end of the village, beyond Flanagan's hostel and down a road to the right, is the Doolin Craft Shop and the adjacent cafe with its delightful garden is a good spot to unwind, serving fresh salmon sandwiches, smoked salmon platters and fine cakes (closed Oct-Easter). For evening meals there's the moderately priced Lazy Lobster (tel 065/707 4390) specializing in fish; the similarly priced Doolin Cafe which has a trendy atmosphere; and, a quieter choice, the upmarket Bruach Na haille , next door to McGann's pub (tel 065/707 4120), noted for its seafood and vegetarian meals.
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