Vaughan's Pub and Restaurant

Vaughan’s Pub and Restaurant sits in the village of Kilfenora, County Clare, a gateway to the Burren. It has been a pub for well over a century and has been in the same family for generations, and it is a well-known traditional music venue in the west of Ireland, drawing visitors for its sessions, set dancing and home-cooked food.

The pub is the home of the celebrated Kilfenora Ceili Band, and traditional music sessions are a regular fixture, typically on Friday and Sunday nights. The barn alongside the pub is used for set dancing, usually on Sunday evenings. The pub also featured in the television comedy Father Ted, adding to its wider recognition.

The kitchen focuses on home-cooked Irish cooking using local produce, from hearty pub favourites to fuller meals. As well as the bar and restaurant, the business offers guest accommodation next door in a nine-bedroom guesthouse, and the barn doubles as a function space for weddings, parties and other celebrations. Kilfenora makes a natural stop for anyone exploring the Burren, and Vaughan’s offers a friendly setting to pause for a meal, a drink and, on the right evening, some of Clare’s living music and dance tradition.