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Sixmilebridge
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Sixmilebridge is a
picturesque hillside village in south east County Clare. It derives
its name from the bridge over the O'Garney river which flows through
the village. Donough O'Brien, the 4th Earl of Thomond, built the
present bridge in 1610. From then, up to 1804 when the bridge at
Bunratty was built, traffic between Limerick and Ennis had to pass
through Sixmilebridge. The first element of the Sixmilebridge name
derives from the fact that the village is approximately 6 Irish
miles from Thomondgate in Limerick (the Irish mile being 2240 yards
in length)
Sixmilebridge is architecturally attractive with three squares, wide
streets, a green and the stone bridge over the River. Sixmilebridge
is also a historical town that was once a booming industrial centre
- at one stage it even had boats from Amsterdam arriving up the
O’Garney River to the corn mills
The village is also fortunate in that many of the old buildings in
the village have been preserved and have found alternative uses. The
former Church of Ireland church has been converted to an
award-winning library, the courthouse is now a childcare facility,
the market house contains auction rooms and the police barracks is
now a credit union.
Each January a diverse band of musicians invades the village as it
plays host to a colourful selection of singers, instrumentalists,
dancers and yarn spinners for the Sixmilebridge Winter Music
Weekend.
A unique feature of Sixmilebridge is the highly decorated but
functional "duck inn" on the O'Garney River, occupied by a thriving
population of ducks. The duck inn is a floating, thatched raft with
glass windows and painted walls. It houses the ducks during winter
and is also where their locally consumed eggs are hatched and
collected. It forms part of the tourist trail of Sixmilebridge. |
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Sixmilebridge Holiday Homes - County Clare, Ireland