Annual Novena to Our Lady's Shrine, Dromellihy

What to Expect

Dromellihy’s outdoor shrine to Our Lady draws people from across west Clare every August for a nine-day novena, and the 2026 dates are listed by the Diocese of Killaloe as 15 to 24 August. The novena opens on the Feast of the Assumption, one of the biggest days in the Irish church calendar, and runs through to 24 August. It is one of a handful of open-air devotional gatherings still kept up in the diocese, held at a roadside shrine rather than inside a church.

Expect the familiar shape of a country novena: the rosary, prayers of intercession and a short reflection or homily each evening, with the congregation standing and sitting on whatever seating is set out at the shrine. Local parish volunteers handle the stewarding and the sound. The diocese lists the event as running across all nine days but does not publish a fixed daily start time online, so the parish newsletter and the notices read at weekend Mass in Cooraclare are the places to check before you travel. There is no admission charge and no booking.

Good to Know

• Runs Saturday 15 August to Monday 24 August 2026, nine consecutive days.
• Venue is Our Lady’s Shrine at Dromellihy, in Cooraclare parish, west Clare.
• Free to attend, no tickets and no booking.
• Daily start times are not published online. Confirm with Cooraclare parish or the Killaloe diocesan office on +353 65 682 8638 before setting out.
• It is an outdoor shrine, so dress for west Clare weather and bring a rain jacket.

Getting There

Dromellihy is in Cooraclare parish, inland from the Shannon estuary in west Clare and a short drive north of Kilrush. Most people approach from the N68 Ennis to Kilrush road and follow local signs. Kilrush is the nearest town for parking, fuel and food, and Bus Eireann’s Limerick to Kilkee service stops there, but there is no public transport to the shrine itself, so a car or a lift from Kilrush or Kilmihil is the practical option.