A look back at history shows the popularity of Kilkee as a holiday destination, indeed in 1850 Osborne wrote " no traveller through this part of Ireland, should omit a visit to this little town; there is a very comfortable hotel, and within a walk of it, some scenery, which in its own way, can hardly be surpassed. I do not know that I ever saw a sea view, that struck me more for its wild beauty, than that which is to be seen from the cliffs, which command the entrance to the bay, on which Kilkee is situated. The rocks are a very dark stone; in places, quite perpendicular and of great depth; the waves of the Atlantic rolling in huge breakers upon them, throwing up vast clouds of white spray against and over them, had a most magnificent effect". (Osborne, 1850, p.20).
Another look back at history and another interesting fact. The entertainer Percy French was a regular performer in the town and an incident on the West Clare Railway on the way to Kilkee prompted him to write the song "Are ye Right There Michael". The town today has indeed developed and has many modern conveniences however it still retains some of its 19th-century Victorian feel.
It makes Kilkee town the perfect base to rest and stay as you explore the region.
