Doolin Time

As I spoke to some of the travellers I met in the hostels I kept hearing about a town called Doolin. Doolin was a small town in County Clare that several people told me that I must visit. They always seemed to add with a smile that I should give myself plenty of time there. I was intrigued, so I made the trek through Lisdoonvarna and out the lonely road to Doolin. Once I arrived I discovered that Doolin consists of 5 B&B's, 3 pubs, 2 hostels, and a smattering of private homes. The one-lane road that winds through town ends up dead-ending at a small beach where boats ferry visitors out to the Aran Islands (weather permitting).

On Doolin Beach
Doolin, Co. Clare, Ireland

I soon found out that Doolin was a mecca for Irish music. Not for tourists so much as musicians. Musicians from all over the country made regular pilgrimages to Doolin to partake of the all-day, all-night 'sessions' that took place in the three pubs. Those of us in the hostel did our part by providing an audience and keeping the beer from getting stale. While I was there some of the hostels other residents came up with the idea of 'Doolin Time', which required that all the clocks in the hostel be set back 3 hours. The net result was that now we were sleeping until 9 (not noon), going out at 6 PM (instead of 9), and going to bed at midnight (instead of 3 AM). On the whole it was a much more respectable lifestyle.