The heritage town of Killaloe takes its name from Saint Lua (or Molua) who/founded the original monastery here in the 9th Century on an island in the River Shannon. lt is, perhaps, best known as the birthplace of Brian Boru, King of Ireland from 1002 to 1014. His fort at Beal Boru, (the pass of the tributes), just to the north of the town, stands at what would have once been an important fording place of the river where Lough Derg narrowed. Saint Flannan's Cathedral is a I3th Century structure on the site of the original Cathedral built in 1180 by Donal Mor O'Brien and destroyed after only five years.

The Oratory dedicated to St. Flannan and dating back to the 12th Century stands in the cathedral grounds. St.Lua's Oratory was moved to its present day site alongside the Catholic church from the original island settlement in 1930 when the river level was raised as part of the hydroelectric power scheme at nearby Ardnacrusha. O'Briens Bridge, built in the early 18th Century, replaced earlier wooden structures which spanned the Shannon between Clare and Tipperary since Brian Boru's time. Today's Killaloe, with it's valuable heritage, is an important tourist centre on Lough Derg, particularly for boating and fishing. Very much the gateway to Clare, it is an ideal starting point for walkers using the East Clare Way.