Mountshannon (, historically anglicised as Ballybolan) is a village in east County Clare, Ireland. It is part of the Catholic parish Mountshannon-Whitegate. The village is on the western shore of Lough Derg, north of Killaloe. Mountshannon won the Irish Tidy Towns Competition in 1981. History The village was designed and built from scratch by Alexander Woods, a Limerick merchant, who intended it as a purely Protestant settlement from which the surrounding Catholic population would be so impressed by the thrift and industry of the settlers that they would quickly convert to the Reformed Church; even as late as the 1830s there was not a single Catholic resident in the village. In fact the reverse happened - it was the Catholics who colonised the village, and the Protestant church in a wooded churchyard bears mute testimony to Woods and his scheme. Mountshannon was home to the last manually operated telephone exchange in Ireland. The exchange was finally converted to automatic service at noon on May 28, 1987. Amenities Mountshannon village has two pubs, Cois na hAbhna and Keane's Bar, a restaurant, a petrol station/shop and a pizzeria. Mountshannon is close to Inis Cealtra, or Holy Island, an uninhabited island that was once home to a monastic settlement. The island has a round tower, and the ruins of several small churches, as well as part of four high crosses and a holy well. The cemetery on this island is still in use, the coffins being transported from the Clare side in small boats. Boat trips can be taken from the harbour to the island. Mountshannon is also on the route of the East Clare Way walking trail. There is a maze in the centre of town in a small park with views of Lough Derg. The maze features information about the development of the Irish spiritual tradition. Alongside is a picnic area made out of wood carved by local artists, encircled by willow hedging. In the entrance is a stone with a hole facing toward Holy Island. The maze is modelled on the pavement labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral in France. Mountshannon has been a recurring winner in the Tidy Towns competition having won the national prize in 1981, silver in 2004 and numerous bronzes over the years. It also took bronze in its population category in 2010. Harbour Mountshannon Harbour is a sheltered, south-facing harbour, used in the summer months with cruisers,