The 12th Century Hermitage
The village of Kildysart is situated halfway between Ennis and Kilrush on the Shannon Estuary. Forty minutes from Shannon Airport and twenty from the Kilimer/Tarbert Ferry makes Kildysart an ideal base for touring the region. A high standard of both B&B and self catering accommodation is available in the village, which also has a cafe, supermarket, grocery, pharmacy, hardware, butchers and choice of pubs. New facilities for campervans and boats have also been provided at the local Quay.
history on kildysart
The name Kildysart comes from “Cill” meaning church and “Dísirt” meaning hermitage. The old church and the graveyard date from the 12th century and were associated with the Augustinian Canons from the Abbey on Canon Island. An annual pilgrimage is still made to Canon Island in July. The parish church of St. Michael was the first built in the Diocese of Killaloe after Catholic Emancipation. There is also a Mass Rock, dating from the Penal Days, in Ballylean. The local Quay was a busy trading centre up until the 1960’s where cargo boats from Limerick delivered goods for the locality.
Exploring kildysart
Kildysart is blessed with some lovely walks one of which includes the Gortglas loop. Gortglas lake is also a popular trout fishing lake and is a great amenity for swimming, paddleboarding, canoeing and is home to the local Currach Club. It also has a crannóg (man made Island) dating back to the Bronze Age.
