Whitegate
Straddling the borders of counties Clare and Galway, Whitegate is a typical example of small, rual Irish village with one post office, two grocery shops and three great pubs.
The Half Barrel, in the centre of the village, serves food daily with an in-house chef and an extensive menu to cater for all tastes. (It's also got a great jukebox in there!)
Right next door to the Half Barrel is Lucas's Bar with the inimitable Dermot at the helm, raconteur and host par excellence. If Whitegate is a typical Irish village then Lucas's is a typical Irish pub; small, cosy and always great craic . The bar regularly has music nights, usually on Fridays, which can get quite lively indeed! Situated just outside the village, the Nightingale, which is equally popular with locals and tourists alike, also has regular music nights.
A short distance from the village itself are Dromaan and Williamstown Harbour. Dromaan is a public harbour, quiet and idyllic, and is a perfect place to fish. Nearby Williamstown Harbour is used as the marina for the boating hire company Shannon Castle Line who rent cruisers for travelling up and down the Shannon River.
Whitegate - a perfect day:
You head down to Dromaan Harbour, early in the morning, for a spot of fishing.
There are special barbeques already built, for any fish you might catch and if you need fuel you can just go to one of the shops in the village. You don't catch any this morning though, but it hardly matters. At noon you head up as far as the Nightingale for a pint or two and brag about the huge fish you "decided to let free." Of course imaginary fish aren't very filling so instead you decide to go up to have a steak up in the Half Barrel and also a few more pints as you tell Bat the barman about your imaginary fish which has now grown in size dramatically. No matter how big you say your fish is, though, the lads at the bar claim to have caught one bigger.
Later, you head over to Lucas's and get a seat just before the place fills up. There you have a nice aul chat with Dermot and tell him all about your now-legendary fish, sinking back a few more pints, as the musicians raise the roof and you become lost in a manic swirling, maelstrom of laughter and fiddles and Guinness and tapping feet.
