Overview
Inagh was named Ireland’s Greenest Village in 2025 – a place of 228 people on the N85, 14 km west of Ennis, strung along the Inagh River below Slieve Callan, West Clare’s highest hill. It is quiet, and honest about it: there is no run of attractions here, just a working village with a strong GAA club, good walking on its doorstep, and one real draw for visitors – the organic St Tola goat cheese farm just to the west. If you make a single stop, make it St Tola, and book the tour before you come.
History and heritage
The Irish name, Eidhneach, means “ivy.” The village sits in the old barony of Inchiquin and has been a place of worship since the early medieval period: local tradition has Saint Mac Creiche founding the first church here around 580 AD. Fragments of that early church, Teampul na glas aighne, stood until 1839, when the present Catholic church, dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, took over.
The medieval landscape is still legible. The ruins of Bothneil Castle – already dilapidated by 1893 – belonged in 1580 to Teige O’Brien, and near them stands a stone carrying an Ogham inscription, read by 19th-century scholars as FAN LIA DO LICA CONAF (N) COLGAC COSOBADA (C). Nearby, people once gathered at a cromlech called altoir-na-Gréine (“altar of the sun”) for seasonal festivals, a trace of the area’s pre-Christian roots.
Walking and the outdoors
Inagh is a natural start for walkers. The 148 km Mid Clare Way runs straight through the village on a six-day circular route, linking farmland, river valleys and neighbouring townlands and joining the East Clare Way for a longer trek through the county’s quieter country.
For a shorter outing, the climb to the summit of Slieve Callan begins just outside the village. On a clear day the top opens a sweep from Mount Brandon in Kerry to the Silvermine Mountains in Tipperary, with the Burren, the Connemara hills and the Atlantic coast all in view. Pick a settled day; the weather turns fast above the tree line.
Remote workers can use the DigiClare Hub in the community centre (V95 YH29), one of eleven council co-working spaces around the county. It is a paid desk rather than a drop-in – about €10 a day or €40 for five days, open Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm, with fast broadband and six workstations.
Local flavour and community life
Food and sport carry the village. The St Tola organic goat cheese farm, a short drive west, has been making cheese on its 65 acres since the late 1970s and has won awards well beyond Clare. The farm shop is open Monday to Friday, 11am to 3pm; tours – with feeding time and a tasting – must be booked in advance (info@st-tola.ie). Turn up unannounced and the shop is the most you will get.
Hurling and camogie run through the social calendar. The Inagh-Kilnamona GAA club fields teams at county level, and match days at the local pitch draw a strong crowd. For something gentler, the nearby Kilnamona Pitch and Putt has an 18-hole course laid out across a family farm, with long views over the hills. The village has also produced its share of names – Green Party senator Róisín Garvey, and, further back, the cricketer George Tottenham.
Traditional music is still a living thing in the local pubs, where informal sessions welcome anyone who wants to listen or join in. For a meal, The Rambler’s Rest and The Good House are the names to look for locally.
Getting there and practical information
By car – Inagh sits on the N85, about 14 km west of Ennis; Shannon Airport is roughly 30 minutes away, and the route is well signposted. By public transport – The nearest rail station is Ennis, with daily Irish Rail services to Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway; check current bus timetables for connections between Ennis and Ennistymon. Parking – On-street around the village centre, busiest on match days. Accessibility – The village centre and car parks are level and paved, but the trails toward Slieve Callan are steep and uneven, and best left to experienced walkers. Best time to visit – Late spring through early autumn gives the steadiest weather for hiking; summer lines up with the GAA fixtures.
Nearby highlights
Inagh makes a handy base for the wider County Clare. The Burren Way passes close by, and Ennis to the east has a lively market, the medieval friary and plenty of places to eat. West Coast Cycle Tours, based locally, runs guided rides through the Burren and along the coast.
Book the St Tola tour before you travel; drop in without one and the farm shop – Monday to Friday, 11am to 3pm – is as close as you will get to the goats.