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Lartigue Monorailway ( 068-24393; John B Keane Rd; adult/child €6/3; 1-4.30pm May-Sep) was designed by Frenchman Charles Lartigue. This unique survivor of Victorian railway engineering operated between the town and Ballybunion on the coast. The renovated section of line is short but fascinating, with manual turntables at either end for swinging the train round.

The tourist office has leaflets on walks such as the 3.5km river walk and the 10km Sive walk, which takes in John B Keane Rd, a disused railway track and a bog.

Festivals & Events

Writers’ Week ( 068-21074; www.writersweek.ie; 24 the Square) Takes place in late May. Readings, poetry, music, drama, seminars, storytelling and many other events are held at various places around town. The festival attracts an impressive list of writers, which have included Booker Prize–winning Colm Toibin, John Montague, Jung Chang, Damon Galgut, Rebecca Miller and Terry Jones.

Listowel Races ( 068-21144; www.listowelraces.ie) Take place over Whit weekend in June and for a week during the harvest festival in September.

Sleeping

Billeragh House Hostel ( 068-40321; billeraghhousehostel@yahoo.com; dm/d from €20/45; ) Housed in an ivy-clad Georgian hall, this hostel is 3.5km south of Listowel on the N69. Facilities include private bathrooms, a kitchen and dining room, and a laundry room.

Flanigan’s Maid of Erin ( 068-21321; www.maidoferin.ie; Main St; s/d from €40/70) The comely and statuesque redhead with harp and dog looming over the door here is a local architectural landmark. Fortunately the rooms are not so distracting: the simple decor is restful.

Listowel Arms Hotel ( 068-21500; The Square; www.listowelarms.com; r from €90-150; ) Listowel’s only full-service hotel is a family-run affair in a Georgian building that balances touches of grandeur with country charm. Antiques, marble sinks, high-speed internet and power showers highlight the 42 rooms, which overlook the river and the racecourse. There’s a palatial restaurant and the bar is a good place to find music in the summer.

There are three comfy rooms above the bar-bistro Allo’s ( 068-22880; Church St; s/d €50/100).

Eating & Drinking

Grape & Grain ( 068-23001; Church St; meals €6-15; 10am-6pm Mon-Sat) A stylish, burgundy-coloured place for lunch or a coffee with sandwiches, salads, hot specials and cakes.

Allo’s ( 068-22880; Church St; mains €12-30; noon-9pm Tue-Sat) This popular bar–bistro has a traditional feel created by the many reused architectural items and wood used in the interior. Local seafood and meats mingle with Med flavours for a changing array of sprightly and satisfying dishes. The wine list is excellent.

Woulfe’s Horseshoe Bar ( 068-21083; 14 Lower William St; bar food €13-20, dinner €18-28; noon-9pm) Enjoy the cosiness of the downstairs bar or the upstairs restaurant at this long-established place, which features window gnomes. The menu offers a full range of pub standards including an array of daily roasts.

John B Keane (37 William St) Once run by the late writer himself, this small, unassuming bar is swathed in Keane memorabilia. At various times it hosts dramatic works including performances by his son Billy in the summer.

Listowel’s farmers market ( 10am-1pm Thu) is held on the Square as markets have been for centuries.

Getting There & Away

Frequent daily buses serve both Tralee (€7, 40 minutes) and Limerick (€15, 1½ hours). In July and August there is one daily service to the Cliffs of Moher and Galway. The bus stop is on the northern side of the Square.

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AROUND LISTOWEL

Ballybunion

There are a surprising number of reasons to visit this one-seahorse beach town 15km northeast of Listowel on the R553. Beyond the statue of a club-swinging Bill Clinton, commemorating his visit to the local golf course in 1998, there are two Blue Flag beaches.

Overlooking the southern beach are the remains of Ballybunion Castle, the 16th-century seat of the Fitzmaurices. There’s an underground passage