I’m David. I’m 13, I live in Clonmel, and Clare is the county on the west side of Limerick — a couple of hours from me. The MTB picture in Clare is quieter than Tipperary, Cork or Kerry but there’s real riding here for anyone who looks. This is the honest Clare MTB hub.
Why Clare is an underrated MTB county
Clare is dominated by three big features: the Slieve Aughty range running along the eastern border with Galway, the Burren in the north-west, and the Shannon estuary / Lough Derg system on the eastern and southern edges. There isn’t a signature dedicated MTB trail centre inside Clare at the Ballyhoura or Rostrevor scale, but there is a Coillte forestry network, real upland country in the Slieve Aughties, and one of the most unusual landscapes on the island in the Burren.
Clare’s closeness to Limerick (Ballyhoura), to Galway (Derroura) and to Tipperary makes it an excellent stop on a wider Munster-Connacht MTB trip. From a Clare base you can ride trail-centre options in the surrounding counties without long drives.
The Slieve Aughty Mountains
The Slieve Aughties run north-south along the Clare–Galway border, rising to Maghera (400m). The range is largely covered in Coillte plantation — some of the largest contiguous forestry blocks in the country. For MTB this is the practical ground in east Clare. The Loughrea side (Galway) and the Scariff/Tuamgraney side (Clare) both give entry points into long fire-road networks through the pine. Quiet, reliable, year-round riding country.
Killaloe and the Lough Derg country
Killaloe sits on the west bank of Lough Derg, the largest of the Shannon lakes. The town is a strong cycling and watersports base. For MTB the Coillte forestry around the lower Slieve Aughties and the surrounding country gives accessible riding. Killaloe also sits on the Lough Derg Cycleway, which is a road-and-mixed-surface route rather than dedicated MTB but useful for connecting days.
The Burren — the honest access picture
The Burren covers most of north-west Clare. It’s one of the most distinctive landscapes in Europe — a limestone pavement plateau with rare flora and a network of green roads. Much of the Burren is a Special Area of Conservation under EU habitats directive protection. That means MTB access is restricted. Don’t ride across protected karst; don’t take bikes off the marked green roads and tracks. The Burren National Park has explicit access rules — check the current NPWS guidance before any ride in the area.
What you can ride: the green roads (historic walled lanes) on the Burren plateau, and the lower Coillte forestry around the Burren’s southern edge. The classic example is the Burren Way — part walking, part cycling depending on the section; check the current status before committing. Treat the high Burren as walking country and the green-road network as the legitimate bike option.