In the 1890s, Kilkee had yet again another boom, when the West Clare Railway opened up to goods transport, improving commercial life in the area, as well as providing a relatively fast means of travel to and from the town. Many prominent people in society travelled to Kilkee including Sir Aubrey de Vere, Charlotte Brontë (who spent her honeymoon here), Sir Henry Rider Haggard, and Alfred, Lord Tennyson. In 1896, the Crown Princess of Austria visited the town. The entertainer Percy French was a regular performer in the town and an incident on the West Clare Railway on the way to Kilkee prompted him to write the song "Are Ye Right There Michael". Although it has become more developed and modern in recent years, the town retains some of its 19th-century Victorian feel.