Was it a good base for Sligo/Rosses Point as well?
Ballina where The Ice House is located is a very cool fishing town west of Enniscrone on the way to Carne. Sligo is east of Enniscrone.
I would stay in either Enniscrone (beach vibe town) or Ballina (fishing vibe town) and split the difference between Carne and Sligo. The village around Sligo is also very cool (golf vibe as the clubhouse sits basically in the beach section of town), but it makes the drive to Carne very long.
If your into remote, stay in Carne. It feels like you are halfway back to the USA.