Kilkee first appears in the Annals of the 14th Century when it is called Cill Chaoidhe meaning St.Caois Church.The castle of Kilkee was built by the MacSweeneys in the late 15th century as feudatories of the MacMahons and later of the OBriens.The Castle was subsequently granted to Charles MacDonnell a members of an Antrim family of Scotch descent who retained the property until the end of the 18 th century.

About 150 years ago Kilkee was a little fishing village where at the west end the local landed aristocracy and the merchant princes of the neighbouring city of Limerick built a number of summer lodges.The canoes and currachs used for fishing were made from a frame of light timber on strong wicker wood covered with sailcloth and rendered waterproof with pitch and tar.In the 19th century the men were generally clad in grey frieze coats the women in coarse home made flannel gowns and petticoats and very few of them wore stockings or shoes.In those early days the men did not fish on the Sabbath.
Interestingly up to the mid -19th century Kilkee was an Irish-speaking village.Mary J.Knott in her 1836 book Two Months at Kilkee stated that few people can speak English.Fishing was very important in the locality.

History :-

From the 18th century the climate and environment at Kilkee began attracting visitors.In 1837 Samuel Lewis A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland describes the growing popularity of Kilkee:Kilkee or Doogh a village in the parish of Kilfieragh barony of Moyarta County of Clare and province of Munster containing 1051 inhabitants.In 1837 it consisted of 153 houses since which time several houses and bathing lodges have been erected the village being much frequented as a bathing place chiefly by the citizens of Limerick on account of its remarkably fine strand sheltered by a ledge of rocks stretching across one third of Kilkee Bay.

In 1888 the healthy air and surroundings of Kilkee are also extolled by Edgar Flinn of the Royal College of Surgeons who remarked on the value of spas in the area:Kilkee is the most fashionable summer seaside resort on the south west coast of Ireland in fact it has few equals if any for natural beauty of scenery in this country.

One of the reasons why Kilkee developed as a visitor attraction was the availability of transport from Limerick.In the 18th century and for the most of the 19th century transport was by boat along the Shannon to Kilrush.From there the final eight miles -13km journey to Kilkee was made by horse drawn cars.Next came the west narrow gauge railway which was a great boom to Kilkee as a seaside resort.In January 1885 Charles Stewart Parnell launched the West Clare Railway which ran from Ennis to Miltown Malbay.In 1890 the South Clare Railway began linking Kilkee and Kilrush to Miltown Malbay.This railway line ran from Kilkee to Ennis from 1892 with Kilrush being served by a short branch from Moyasta Junction.The railway served Kilkee well until it finally closed from lack of support on January 31st 1961.

How To Reach :-

1.By Road :-

If you were in a road vehicle maintaining an average speed of 40mph - 64 kmh it would take you approximately 0.7 hours to travel from Kilkee to Tralee.

2.By Air :-

If you were in a plane and maintained an average airspeed of 450 mph 724.1 kmh your travelling time would be approximately 0.6 hours for Kilkee to Tralee.

Tourist Attractions :-

Kilkee is an Ideal Centre for exploring County Clare and visiting some of Irelands top visitor attractions.

1.The Loop Drive
2.The Shannon Dolphins
3.The Doonbeg Bog
4.The Cliffs of Moher
5.Scattery Island
6.Ennis
7.Bunratty Castle
8.The Vandeleur Walled Garden