4 Best Sights in County Clare, Galway, and the Aran Islands, Ireland

This wide, sweeping, crescent-shape, sandy beach is cradled by the town's rocky contours and slopes down gently to the ocean. It was a favorite of author Charlotte Brontë. The absence of a strong current means that it's one of the safest swimming spots on the west coast. Amenities: none. Best for: swimming, walking.

Loop Head Lighthouse has kept navigators on the right watery path since its construction in 1670. The current, pint-size white tower house was built in 1854 and is open for tours. On a fine day, views from the balcony encompass the Blaskets in the south to the 12 Pin Mountains in Connemara. There's a lighthouse exhibition in the lightkeeper's cottage.

Once a community, this remote island where the mouth of the Shannon River touches the Wild Atlantic Way is a time capsule of days gone by. St. Senan set up a monastery here in the 6th century believing that the remoteness of the island brought him closer to God. The six churches on the island today date from the 14th century, and its Round Tower at 120 feet is one of the tallest in Ireland. Drop by Kilrush Marina for a frequent ferry service to the island.

In a small annex at the Church of the Little Ark, just outside the tiny village of Kilbaha, is a wonderfully quirky slice of local history. During penal times Roman Catholic parishioners were restricted access to church, so Father Michael Meehan came up with the idea of holding mass in "no man's land" or rather, no man's sea, much to the frustration of local landlords. The little ark was the size of a carriage and fully assembled by 1852, when it was pulled into the shallow waters of a local cove, where locals could worship uninterrupted.