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Follow the road east from Leamaneh Castle and you'll reach KILLINABOY , where a ruined eleventh- to fourteenth-century church has a striking Sheila-na-gig over the doorway - a carving of a naked woman with grotesquely exaggerated genitalia (sheila means "femininity", and gig "breast") which was probably some kind of fertility symbol. They're more usually found above castle doorways, and it may be that its siting here was intended as a warning against the sins of the flesh. There are a handful of pleasant B&Bs in the area, of which Fergus View (tel 065/683 7606; GBP40-55/?50.79-69.84) is a welcoming option two miles north of Corofin on the Kilfenora road. From Killinaboy the road winds down into the more substantial village of COROFIN , consisting of a handful of houses and a string of cheerful pubs. It makes an excellent base from which to explore the Burren or to enjoy fishing in the abundance of little lakes hereabouts. Lough Inchiquin is particularly scenic and a detour around the lake and up Clifden Hill affords spectacular views - you'll need your own transport for this. The village is also home to the Clare Heritage Centre (April-Oct daily 9.30am-5.30pm; Nov-March Mon-Fri 9am-5pm; tel 065/683 7955, www.clareroots.com ), which portrays the traumatic period of Irish history between 1800 and 1860 and fills in the horrors that the Bunratty Folk Park omits: famine, disease, emigration and the issue of land tenure. It also has a genealogy service for those with origins in the county and holds details of over half a million people, McMahon, Macnamara, Moloney and O'Brien being the most common names. If you want to research your roots in detail, write to or email the centre a few months before your trip and find out as much as possible before you visit (names, dates, marriages, deaths, location, occupation, parish for example). An initial search costs around GBP40-60, a full one GBP100-150. Alternatively, the new library here is freely available: a morning spent poring over records will probably convince you just why it's worth paying a trained genealogist to do it for you. You can stay here at the friendly, family-run Corofin Village Hostel (IHH; tel 065/683 7683; the hostel may close, so phoning ahead is advised), with its pleasant campsite . Traditional music is dished up with tea and brown bread in summer at the village's pleasantly relaxed teach cheoil (music house) in the main street (July & Aug Thurs 9pm; tel 065/683 7706; GBP3/?3.81), in a lively evening suitable for families, with set dancing. There is also bound to be music on in one of the pubs most nights during the summer. Bofey Quinn's does good bar food - try their Corofin Smokies, a kind of smoked fish and potato hotpot. Boats can be hired from Burke's shop.
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