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Alternative routes from Ennis can take you north through low-lying country fretted with rush-bordered lakes, their banks dotted with O'Brien strongholds. Seven miles north is Dysert O'Dea , the site of the ancient monastic foundation of St Tola (d. 737) and the scene of an important battle in 1318 when the O'Briens defeated the de Clares of Bunratty, thus preventing the Anglo-Norman takeover of Clare. To get there, take the road to Ennistymon out of Ennis, then after two miles take the right fork for Corofin and it's up a road to the left. At the site you can wander around the remains of a twelfth- to thirteenth-century Romanesque church with a richly carved south doorway and carvings of grotesque animal heads and human faces. Of particular interest is the twelfth-century White Cross of Tola, with carvings of Christ and a bishop in high relief, Daniel in the lion's den, as well as intricate patterning. The O'Dea Castle nearby houses an archaelogical centre (May-Sept daily 10am-6pm; GBP3/?3.81) from where a history trail starts out that takes in the high cross, ring forts and an ancient cooking site. Travelling north of Dysert O'Dea, you'll come across an abundance of little lakes, offering good fishing.
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