Labasheeda is a small village on the Shannon Estuary in county Clare. Its name in Irish is Leaba Shioda meaning ‘Bed of Silk’. The village has a school, a former Catholic Church building which is now in use as a community centre as well as a modern church. The village also has a post office and a small pub/shop.
Labasheeda quay is at the head of Labasheeda Bay in the estuary and is recorded as having been used to land corn for transport to Limerick in the 1830s and as a point for crossing to Tarbert before a permanent quay was built. The quay has been used for transportation of people and goods between Tarbert, Foynes and Labasheeda up until at least the 1940s. Steamers plying the Shannon Estuary between Foynes and Kilrush at the time stopped at Labasheeda daily. Labasheeda exported butter from its creamery to Foynes – the creamery building is still extant but now sadly disused. These days the quay is largely used for leisure purposes such as angling trips, sailing and swimming.
The quay was renovated just over ten years ago and has a picnic table and a small green area with a famine memorial. There is a tourist information board on the quay to tell you more about the area and its flora and fauna.
The cache, parking, etc.
The cache is a small Tupperware container with room for small trade items/trackables. A pencil and sharpener to sign the log were in the box when the cache was placed however, as always, BYOP just in case. There is plenty of space for parking at the quay. Keep a good eye out for the sign to turn down for the quay as it is at the turn and so doesn’t give you much time to see the sign and make the turn! You can of course park on the main street and take a walk down.