I was in Ireland last September and endeavoured to travel to several locations given in song. For example, I went to Spanish Point and stood on the white strand, as Andy Irvine did in his song "The West Coast of Clare". A particularly poignant moment came when I sat in the famine graveyard Old Shanakyle outside Kilrush and there sang the song of the same name.

I tried to find out the location of the Cliffs of Doneen, "where the towns of Kilrush and Kilkee can be seen", but was unable to pinpoint a location high up enough to afford a view of both towns. Like Guest paranoid android, I surmised the location to be in northern Kerry, perhaps along R551 west of Ballylongford, or perhaps in westernmost Clare, heading toward Kilbaha and Loop Head on the R487, but I had no success in my search.

I also was told the Cliffs don't exist outside of the songwriter's imagination.

Cheers,
Michael

Cheers