Ennis () is the
county town
In the United Kingdom and Ireland, a county town is the most important town or city in a county. It is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county and the place where the county's members of Parliament are elect ...
of
County Clare
County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,817 ...
, in the mid-west of
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
. The town lies on the
River Fergus
The River Fergus ( ga, An Forghas) is a river within the Shannon River Basin which flows in County Clare, Ireland. The river begins at Lough Fergus in north Clare and flows into the Shannon Estuary. The source is at Lough Fergus in the townland ...
, north of where the river widens and enters the
Shannon Estuary
The Shannon Estuary ( gle, Inbhear na Sionainne) is a large estuary where the River Shannon flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The estuary has Limerick City at its head and its seaward limits are marked by Loop Head to the north and Kerry Head to th ...
. Ennis is the largest town in County Clare, with a population of 25,276,
making it the 6th largest town, and
12th largest urban settlement, as of 2016. Dating from the 12th century the town's Irish name is short for ' ("island of the long rowing meadow") deriving from its location between two courses of the River Fergus.
Ennis has had considerable success in the
Irish Tidy Towns competition. In 2005 and 2021, the town was named Ireland's tidiest town, and was named Ireland's tidiest large urban centre on multiple occasions.
History
![Map of Ennis](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/Map_of_Ennis.png)
The name Ennis derives from the Irish word "Inis", meaning "island". This name relates to an island called ' ("Calf Island") or ' ("island of the long rowing meadow") formed between two courses of the River Fergus. The history of Ennis is closely linked with the
O'Brien dynasty
The O'Brien dynasty ( ga, label=Classical Irish, Ua Briain; ga, label=Modern Irish, Ó Briain ; genitive ''Uí Bhriain'' ) is a nobility, noble house of Munster, founded in the 10th century by Brian Boru of the Dál gCais (Dalcassians). After ...
, descendants of
Brian Boru
Brian Boru ( mga, Brian Bóruma mac Cennétig; modern ga, Brian Bóramha; 23 April 1014) was an Irish king who ended the domination of the High King of Ireland, High Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill and probably ended Viking invasion/domi ...
. In the 12th century, the O'Briens, the
Kings of Thomond
Kings or King's may refer to:
*Monarchs: The sovereign heads of states and/or nations, with the male being kings
*One of several works known as the "Book of Kings":
**The Books of Kings part of the Bible, divided into two parts
**The ''Shahnameh' ...
, left their seat of power in
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
and built a Clonroad Fort in 1210, a royal residence on the banks of the Fergus. In 1240, following the arrival of
Franciscan
The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...
monks, King
Donnchadh O'Brien ordered the construction of an extensive church which he later donated to the Friars. The Friary quickly expanded becoming a centre for theological studies, and by 1375 had 600 students and 350 Friars in residence. As the Friary expanded, so too did the surrounding area, with the town becoming a religious centre until the
Dissolution of the Monasteries. Despite its official closure in 1540, the Friary continued to operate in a limited way until 1690, remaining the last school of Catholic Theology to survive the
Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
.
When Clare became a county under the rule of
Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen".
El ...
in 1586, Ennis was chosen as its administrative centre and capital because of its central location and its association with the
Earls of Thomond. Ennis received a grant to hold fairs and markets in 1610 and later a Charter for a Corporation with a Provost, Free Burgesses, Commonalty and a Town Clerk.
In the colonial period, a number of landmark structures were constructed, including the Mill and Courthouse. The town contains a number of old military barracks, most notably the Old Military Barracks on the Kilrush road. Many locals served in the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
in the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. The Clare Road and Clonroad areas contain terraced cottages built in the early 20th century to house soldiers. On Station Road, then called Jail Road, a gaol once stood.
As its formation was monastic and not defensive, Ennis never had town walls and instead grew as place of commerce and trade. Over the centuries the market town slowly expanded, and eventually developed as a small manufacturing and distribution centre with commodities moved by river to the port at
Clarecastle
Clarecastle (''An Clár'' or ) is a village just south of Ennis in County Clare, Ireland. From 2008 to 2016 the village saw a significant population increase due to its proximity to Ennis, Shannon, and Limerick.
Name
The town is named after t ...
for shipping abroad. Local industries included textile and clothing manufacturing, the milling of corn and flour, as well as brewing of beer and distillation of whiskey with evidence of these industries still present in the town. The 1845
Famine
A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including war, natural disasters, crop failure, Demographic trap, population imbalance, widespread poverty, an Financial crisis, economic catastrophe or government policies. Th ...
and its aftermath had a substantial effect on the town with the population declining by over 20% because of famine, disease and emigration.
Ennis was governed by a town council from around the 17th century onwards, before the
Local Government Reform Act 2014
The Local Government Reform Act 2014 (No. 1) is an act of the Oireachtas which provided for a major restructuring of local government in Ireland with effect from the 2014 local elections. It merged some first-tier county and city councils, ...
effectively dissolved this with the creation of the Ennis Municipal District under the authority of
Clare County Council
Clare County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae an Chláir) is the authority responsible for local government in County Clare, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housing and ...
. Politically, Ennis has always been considered a
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil (, ; meaning 'Soldiers of Destiny' or 'Warriors of Fál'), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party ( ga, audio=ga-Fianna Fáil.ogg, Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach), is a conservative and Christian- ...
stronghold. However, in the 2009 local elections, the party was reduced to just one member out of nine on Ennis Town Council. A monument to
Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera (, ; first registered as George de Valero; changed some time before 1901 to Edward de Valera; 14 October 1882 – 29 August 1975) was a prominent Irish statesman and political leader. He served several terms as head of governm ...
, founder of the party and former President of Ireland, stands outside
Ennis Courthouse
Ennis Courthouse ( ga, Teach Cúirte na hInse) is a judicial facility in Gort Road, Ennis, County Clare, Ireland.
History
The courthouse, which was designed by John Keane and Henry Whitestone in the neoclassical style and built in ashlar st ...
.
The River Fergus runs through the middle of Ennis and is a well-known trout and salmon fishery. At one time, small sailing boats made their way up river from the Shannon and berthed in the centre of the town at Woodquay. This area of the town along with Parnell Street and Mill Road was routinely susceptible to flooding, but the flood defence system put an end to the event in Parnell Street and the Mill Road areas, although in November 2009 other parts of the town experienced severe flooding. A new
pedestrian bridge
A footbridge (also a pedestrian bridge, pedestrian overpass, or pedestrian overcrossing) is a bridge designed solely for pedestrians.''Oxford English Dictionary'' While the primary meaning for a bridge is a structure which links "two points at a ...
, Harmony Row Bridge, was built over the river Fergus in June 2009.
Heritage and economy
![Ennis](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/Ennis.jpg)
Ennis continued to expand in the following centuries, mainly as a market town and later as a manufacturing and distributing centre. Many commodities were conveyed by river to
Clarecastle
Clarecastle (''An Clár'' or ) is a village just south of Ennis in County Clare, Ireland. From 2008 to 2016 the village saw a significant population increase due to its proximity to Ennis, Shannon, and Limerick.
Name
The town is named after t ...
for shipment abroad.
Ennis is a historically important
market town
A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...
. The
market square
The market square (or sometimes, the market place) is a Town square, square meant for trading, in which a market is held. It is an important feature of many towns and cities around the world.[market stall
A market stall or a booth is a structure used by merchants to display and house their merchandise in a street market, fairs and conventions. Some commercial marketplaces, including market squares or flea markets, may permit more permanent stal ...]
s on each Saturday throughout the year, although with the rise in the town's commercial retail sector it has shifted from agricultural produce to mainly textiles and home hardware. The market also has an organic farming element.
The town centre consists of medieval narrow streets and laneways, overshadowed by structures built over the last thousand years. Of the main thoroughfares, Parnell Street has been
pedestrianised
Pedestrian zones (also known as auto-free zones and car-free zones, as pedestrian precincts in British English, and as pedestrian malls in the United States and Australia) are areas of a city or town reserved for pedestrian-only use and in whi ...
, while the others, O'Connell Street, Bindon Street and Abbey Street, are
one way
One-way or one way may refer to:
* One-way traffic, a street either facilitating only one-way traffic, or designed to direct vehicles to move in one direction
*One-way travel, a trip that does not return to its origin
Music
*One Way (American ba ...
.
The Cathedral of Saint Peter and Saint Paul is on the fringe of the old town centre.
Ennis serves as a major regional hub for County Clare. Among its emergency services, it contains the
Ennis Hospital
The Ennis Hospital ( ga, Ospidéal Inis) is a public hospital located in Ennis, County Clare, Ireland. It is managed by UL Hospitals Group.
History
The hospital was officially opened as the Ennis County Hospital on 4 October 1940. It became th ...
, the HQ of the Clare Divisional Garda, the Clare Fire Brigade and Civil Defence. Ennis also includes many relief organisations, such as The Samaritans, Clare Care and St. Vincent De Paul. Among its civil services, it contains Clare County Council, as well as Social and Family affairs.
Ennis has been a centre for
Irish Traditional Music
Irish traditional music (also known as Irish trad, Irish folk music, and other variants) is a genre of folk music that developed in Ireland.
In ''A History of Irish Music'' (1905), W. H. Grattan Flood wrote that, in Gaelic Ireland, there w ...
, and since 1974 has hosted the ''
Fleadh Nua'' in late May each year, the second-largest traditional music festival in Ireland. There are other traditional festivals held in the town as well such as the Ennis Trad Festival held annually in November.
Transport
Situated 14 km from
Shannon Airport
Shannon Airport ( ga, Aerfort na Sionainne) is an international airport located in County Clare in the Republic of Ireland. It is adjacent to the Shannon Estuary and lies halfway between Ennis and Limerick. The airport is the third busiest ai ...
, Ennis is served by both bus and rail links to all major cities and towns in Ireland. The main bus depot is adjacent to the town's train station and both are about one kilometre from the town centre.
Ennis railway station
Ennis railway station serves the town of Ennis in County Clare, Ireland.
Ennis is the terminus station of the to Ennis Commuter service (intermediate stop ) and a station on the Limerick to Galway intercity service. Passengers for Dublin/C ...
is on the
Clon Road
Clon may refer to:
* Clonakilty, or Clon, a town in County Cork, Ireland
* Clon (duo), a South Korean dance duo
* ''El clon'' ('The Clone'), a 2010 Spanish-language telenovela released
See also
*
* Clonmacnoise, a ruined monastery in County ...
toward the east of the town, which links to the main N18 in either direction.
Bus services are provided to
Shannon Airport
Shannon Airport ( ga, Aerfort na Sionainne) is an international airport located in County Clare in the Republic of Ireland. It is adjacent to the Shannon Estuary and lies halfway between Ennis and Limerick. The airport is the third busiest ai ...
,
Galway
Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...
,
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
,
Cork
Cork or CORK may refer to:
Materials
* Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product
** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container
***Wine cork
Places Ireland
* Cork (city)
** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
, Dublin and all routes in between and run nearly every hour. Shannon Airport is 15 minutes from Ennis, providing daily flights to European and US destinations.
The M18 motorway was extended from Ennis to Limerick in 2007. The section from Ennis to
Gort
Gort ( or ) is a town of around 3,000 inhabitants in County Galway in the west of Ireland. Located near the border with County Clare, the town lies between the Burren and the Slieve Aughty and is served by the R458 and R460 regional roads, wh ...
was opened in 2010. The section between Gort and Claregalway was opened in 2017, offering a direct connection with Galway,
Tuam
Tuam ( ; ga, Tuaim , meaning 'mound' or 'burial-place') is a town in Ireland and the second-largest settlement in County Galway. It is west of the midlands of Ireland, about north of Galway city. Humans have lived in the area since the Bron ...
and
Athenry
Athenry (; ) is a town in County Galway, Ireland, which lies east of Galway city. Some of the attractions of the medieval town are its town wall, Athenry Castle, its priory and its 13th century street-plan. The town is also well known by virtu ...
.
Eighteen rail services per day are now provided to and from
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
, from where connecting rail services are available to both
Dublin Heuston
Heuston Station ( ; ga, Stáisiún Heuston; formerly Kingsbridge Station) also known as Dublin Heuston, is one of Dublin's largest railway stations and links the capital with the south, southwest and west of Ireland. It is operated by Iar ...
and
Cork
Cork or CORK may refer to:
Materials
* Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product
** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container
***Wine cork
Places Ireland
* Cork (city)
** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
. The
Western Railway Corridor
The Western Railway Corridor is a term, used since , for a partly disused railway line running through the west of Ireland. Currently two sections of the line, from Limerick via Ennis to Athenry and from Collooney to Sligo, see regular services ...
north of Ennis (to
Athenry
Athenry (; ) is a town in County Galway, Ireland, which lies east of Galway city. Some of the attractions of the medieval town are its town wall, Athenry Castle, its priory and its 13th century street-plan. The town is also well known by virtu ...
and Galway) reopened on 30 March 2010 with five return services daily.
Ennis was formerly the starting point of the
West Clare Railway
The West Clare Railway (WCR) originally operated in County Clare, Ireland, between 1887 and 1961. This narrow-gauge railway ran from the county town of Ennis, via numerous stopping-points along the West Clare coast to two termini, at Kilrush ...
, a narrow-gauge railway which ran from Ennis to
Ennistymon
Ennistymon or Ennistimon () is a country market town in County Clare, near the west coast of Ireland. The River Inagh, with its small rapids known as the Cascades, runs through the town, behind the main street. A bridge across the river leads to ...
,
Milltown Malbay
Milltown Malbay (), also Miltown Malbay, is a town in the west of County Clare, Ireland, near Spanish Point. The population was 829 at the 2016 Census.
Name
There is a townland on the southern edge of the town called Poulawillin or Pollawillin ...
and onwards to the towns and villages along the West Clare coastline. Trains ran from the same railway station which is still used by mainline
Irish railway services. The line was
CIÉ
Córas Iompair Éireann (''Irish Transport Company''), or CIÉ, is a statutory corporation of Ireland, answerable to the Irish Government and responsible for most public transport within the republic and jointly with its Northern Ireland counte ...
's last narrow-gauge railway and finally closed in 1961, despite investment in new diesel trains in the early/mid-1950s.
Ennis railway station
Ennis railway station serves the town of Ennis in County Clare, Ireland.
Ennis is the terminus station of the to Ennis Commuter service (intermediate stop ) and a station on the Limerick to Galway intercity service. Passengers for Dublin/C ...
connects with Galway and with
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
where onward trains run to Dublin,
Cork
Cork or CORK may refer to:
Materials
* Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product
** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container
***Wine cork
Places Ireland
* Cork (city)
** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
via
Limerick Junction
Limerick Junction ( ga, Gabhal Luimnigh) is the interchange railway station for trains originating in , , , , and stations. The station opened on 3 July 1848.
The station was highly noted for its layout which prior to 1967 required every tr ...
(for connections to
Tipperary
Tipperary is the name of:
Places
*County Tipperary, a county in Ireland
**North Tipperary, a former administrative county based in Nenagh
**South Tipperary, a former administrative county based in Clonmel
*Tipperary (town), County Tipperary's na ...
,
Cahir
Cahir (; ) is a town in County Tipperary in Ireland. It is also a civil parish in the barony of Iffa and Offa West.
Location and access
For much of the twentieth century, Cahir stood at an intersection of two busy national roadways: the Dublin ...
,
Clonmel
Clonmel () is the county town and largest settlement of County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town is noted in Irish history for its resistance to the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, Cromwellian army which sacked the towns of Dro ...
,
Carrick-on-Suir
Carrick-on-Suir () is a town in County Tipperary, Ireland. It lies on both banks of the River Suir. The part on the north bank of the Suir lies in the civil parish of "Carrick", in the historical barony of Iffa and Offa East. The part on the so ...
and
Waterford
"Waterford remains the untaken city"
, mapsize = 220px
, pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe
, pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe
, pushpin_relief = 1
, coordinates ...
) and
Mallow (for connections to
Killarney
Killarney ( ; ga, Cill Airne , meaning 'church of sloes') is a town in County Kerry, southwestern Ireland. The town is on the northeastern shore of Lough Leane, part of Killarney National Park, and is home to St Mary's Cathedral, Ross Castl ...
and
Tralee
Tralee ( ; ga, Trá Lí, ; formerly , meaning 'strand of the Lee River') is the county town of County Kerry in the south-west of Ireland. The town is on the northern side of the neck of the Dingle Peninsula, and is the largest town in County ...
). Ennis is also served by local charity Clare bus which provides a fully wheelchair-accessible bus service around the Clare area.
Education
![Saint Flannans Ennis](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Saint_Flannans_Ennis.JPG)
Primary Schools in Ennis include
Ennis National School
Ennis National School is a primary school in Ennis, County Clare, Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europ ...
, established in 1897 (formerly Boys National School),
Cloughleigh National School, Gaelscoil Mhichíl Cíosóg, Holy Family School, Scoil Chroist Rí, CBS and the multi-denominational Ennis
Educate Together
Educate Together () is an educational charity in Ireland which is the patron body to "equality-based, co-educational, child centred, and democratically run" schools. It was founded in 1984 to act as the patron body for the new multidenomination ...
National School which opened in 1998. There are several secondary level schools in Ennis, including
Rice College
Rice College (Coláiste an Rísigh in Irish) is a secondary school in Ennis, County Clare, Ireland founded in 1826. It is also a Congregation of Christian Brothers, C.B.S with a house on the property where "Brothers" still reside. No Brothers ...
, Ennis Community College, Coláiste Muire,
St. Flannan's College
Saint Flannan's College is an Irish co-educational secondary school located in Ennis, County Clare, which takes its name from the 7th century patron saint of the Dál gCais. Formerly an all-boys boarding school, the first girls class was entere ...
, and Gaelcholaiste an Chláir. Mid-West Management Training is a FETAC approved provider of further education and training up to Level 6 of the National Framework of Qualifications. The Ennis Business college is one of Ennis's third-level facilities.
Limerick IT
The Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT; ga, Institiúid Teicneolaíochta Luimnigh) was an institute of technology, located in Limerick, Ireland. The institute had five campuses that were located in Limerick, Thurles, Clonmel, as well as a ...
opened its Ennis campus in 2019. The IT merged with
Athlone IT
The Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT; ga, Institiúid Teicneolaíochta Bhaile Átha Luain) was an institute of technology, located in Athlone, Ireland. Established in 1970, the institute's campus was located on University Road.
A conso ...
to become
Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest, in October 2021.
Culture
Ennis is a stronghold of
traditional music
Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...
with many musicians in residence and regularly playing locally.
The Ennis Book Club Festival, in association with Clare County Library, runs annually on the first weekend in March. It attracts readers and authors from all over Ireland and beyond.
Glór Theatre
glór, formerly ''glór Irish Music Centre'', is a concert and events venue in Ireland, located in the town of Ennis County Clare. Its capacity allows for 485 people for seated performances. glór also has a studio space for smaller events and ...
is a concert and events venue in the town centre.
In 2016 and 2017 Ennis hosted the
Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann
The Fleadh Cheoil (; meaning "festival of music") is an Music of Ireland, Irish music festival run by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (CCÉ), a non-profit organisation. The festival includes live music events as well as competition. Each year a si ...
music competition. It is the first time that the town has hosted the event since 1977.
Sports and leisure
Cusack Park on Francis Street in the town centre is the main county
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional ...
(GAA) playing grounds and the home of
Clare GAA Clare may refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Clare Range, a mountain range in Victoria Land
Australia
* Clare, South Australia, a town in the Clare Valley
* Clare Valley, South Australia
Canada
* Clare (electoral district), an electoral district
* Cl ...
. Ennis has numerous football clubs (soccer, GAA and rugby) that play in various leagues from schoolboys to senior.
The Lees Road Sports and Amenity Park, 1 km from the town centre, is set in of wood and parkland. There is ample car parking and the main building includes modern changing rooms, showers and toilets. Among the facilities available are four conventional playing pitches, full size all-weather floodlit playing pitch, a floodlit synthetic running track and a purpose-built cross country running track. There is a children's playground and skateboard park and marked walks and trails throughout the woodland area. Ennis Leisure Centre has a fully equipped gym with a 25m pool, saunas etc. There are a number of hotels around Ennis that have their own leisure facilities including gyms and 15m to 20m pools.
Within the town, there are six adult soccer clubs (Avenue United, Lifford FC, Ennis Town, Turnpike Rovers, Hermitage FC and Ennis Dons FC), two adult GAA clubs (Éire Óg and The Banner GAA), and one rugby club (Ennis RFC).
International relations
Ennis is
twinned with
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...
.
Each summer an average of four 4th/5th year students partake in the Phoenix
Youth Ambassador A youth ambassador is a young agent, representative and/or steward for the charity for which they work.Anaphylaxis CampaignYouth Ambassadors/ref>
Youth ambassadors have been introduced in order to promote participation, or spread goodwill or knowle ...
Program, which is facilitated by the city of Phoenix twinning committee and the Ennis Chamber of Commerce.
It is also twinned with the town of
Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet
Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet (; Languedocien: ''Sant Pau de Fenolhet'') is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.
Geography
Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet is located in the canton of La Vallée de l'Agly and in the arrondi ...
in southern France.
Ennis is also twinned with the town of
Clare, South Australia
The town of Clare is located in South Australia in the Mid North region, 136 km north of Adelaide. It gives its name to the Clare Valley wine and tourist region.
At the , Clare itself had a population of 3160 as part of an urban area with ...
and the city of
Clare, Michigan
Clare is a city mostly in Clare County in the U.S. State of Michigan. A small portion of the city extends south into Isabella County. The population was 3,254 at the 2020 census.
Clare was settled as early as 1870 and contains two listings on ...
, United States
Information Age Town
In September 1997, Ennis became Ireland's first and only Information Age Town. The town was greatly enhanced by the project's IR£15 million investment, which saw 4,200 computers provided to residents. A computer lab was provided for every school and every primary school classroom was provided with a computer. Elderly residents were given the chance to become computer users also as a result. The project also gave Ennis Ireland's first high-speed ISDN line infrastructure, which connected all the town's businesses together. Ennis was also used as a test site for VISA Cash, which allowed users to top up a
Chip and PIN Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) is a type of immunoprecipitation experimental technique used to investigate the interaction between proteins and DNA in the cell. It aims to determine whether specific proteins are associated with specific geno ...
card with petty cash and purchase goods in local stores. Funding for the project ran out in 2000.
Tidy Town
In 2012, 2013 and 2021, Ennis won the Irish
Tidy Towns Competition in the Large Urban Centre category.
Gallery
File:Height2.gif, Monument to Daniel O'Connell
Daniel O'Connell (I) ( ga, Dónall Ó Conaill; 6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847), hailed in his time as The Liberator, was the acknowledged political leader of Ireland's Roman Catholic majority in the first half of the 19th century. His mobilizat ...
in O'Connell Square, the site of the old courthouse where he won the Clare Clare may refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Clare Range, a mountain range in Victoria Land
Australia
* Clare, South Australia, a town in the Clare Valley
* Clare Valley, South Australia
Canada
* Clare (electoral district), an electoral district
* Cl ...
by-elections
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...
in 1828.
File:Fish-ladder-River-Fergus-Ennis.jpg, Fish ladder on the River Fergus
The River Fergus ( ga, An Forghas) is a river within the Shannon River Basin which flows in County Clare, Ireland. The river begins at Lough Fergus in north Clare and flows into the Shannon Estuary. The source is at Lough Fergus in the townland ...
which flows through Ennis.
File:Ennis Friary.jpg, Ennis Friary
File:St. Columba's Church in Ennis.jpg, St Columba's Church, Ennis
Notable people
*
James Bartholomew Blackwell
James Bartholomew Blackwell (1763–1820) was an Irish officer in the service of France who received commissions from Louis XVI, the First French Republic and later Emperor Napoleon. A friend of Georges Danton, Camille Desmoulins, he had taken ...
,
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
ary soldier
*
Tony MacMahon
Tony MacMahon (18 April 1939 – 8 October 2021) was an Irish button accordion player and radio and television broadcaster.
MacMahon's chief early inspiration, accordionist Joe Cooley, was a frequent caller at the MacMahon home in Ennis, Co. Cla ...
, Irish button accordion player and radio and television broadcaster.
*
Thomas Dermody
Thomas Dermody (1775–1802) was an Irish poet. He wrote under pseudonyms including Mauritius Moonshine, and Marmaduke Myrtle.
Life
Dermody was born in Ennis. He was scholarly but lived hard, and made little of his life. He spent some time ...
, 18th-century poet
*
Michael Enright,
Democratic Left politician
*
Kieran Hanrahan
Kieran Hanrahan (born 1957) is an Irish radio host and musician. Born in Ennis, County Clare, he began playing traditional Irish music on the tenor banjo at the age of fourteen. Over the years, Hanrahan has helped to found a number of tradition ...
, radio host and
tenor banjo
The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...
player who won the
All-Ireland
All-Ireland (sometimes All-Island) refers to all of Ireland, as opposed to the separate jurisdictions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. "All-Ireland" is most frequently used to refer to sporting teams or events for the entire islan ...
banjo championship at age 14
*
Maeve Kelly
Maeve Kelly (born 1930) is an Irish writer.
Career
Kelly was born in Ennis, County Clare and raised in Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland. She settled in Limerick and studied nursing at St. Andrew's Hospital in London
London is the capital ...
, novelist
*
Michael Houlihan
Michael Houlihan is a prominent Irish solicitor and former President of the Law Society of Ireland. He is noted for his achievements in promoting the development of the south-west region of Ireland.
Born in Ennis, County Clare, from a distingu ...
, former President of the
Law Society of Ireland
The Law Society of Ireland ( ga, Dlí-Chumann na hÉireann) is a professional body established on 24 June 1830 and is the educational, representative and regulatory body of the solicitors' profession in Ireland. As of 2020, the Law Society had ...
*
Des Lynam
Desmond Michael Lynam, (born 17 September 1942) is an Irish-born television and radio presenter. In a broadcasting career spanning more than forty years, he has hosted television coverage of many of the world's major sporting events, presentin ...
, Irish presenter on British television
*
Sean Matgamna
Sean Matgamna is an Irish Trotskyist active in Britain. A founder of Workers' Fight in 1966, he is still a prominent member of the group, now called the Alliance for Workers' Liberty.
Early life
Matgamna was born in 1941 in Ennis, County Clar ...
,
Trotskyist
Trotskyism is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Ukrainian-Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky and some other members of the Left Opposition and Fourth International. Trotsky self-identified as an orthodox Marxist, a rev ...
theorist
*
William Mulready
William Mulready (1 April 1786 – 7 July 1863) was an Irish genre painter living in London. He is best known for his romanticising depictions of rural scenes, and for creating Mulready stationery letter sheets, issued at the same time as the P ...
, 19th-century genre painter
*
Máiréad Ní Ghráda
Máiréad Ní Ghráda (23 December 1896 – 13 June 1971) was an Irish poet, playwright, and Radio personality, broadcaster born in Kilmaley, County Clare.
Biography
Ní Ghráda's mother was Bridget Ní Ghrianna while her father, Tony Kelly ...
, Irish playwright and poet
*
Matthew O'Brien
Matthew O'Brien (born in 1970) is an American author, journalist, editor and teacher who writes about the seedier side of Las Vegas. His most well-known work is the nonfiction book '' Beneath the Neon'', which documents the homeless population li ...
, 19th-century mathematician
*
Daniel O'Connell
Daniel O'Connell (I) ( ga, Dónall Ó Conaill; 6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847), hailed in his time as The Liberator, was the acknowledged political leader of Ireland's Roman Catholic majority in the first half of the 19th century. His mobilizat ...
, MP returned for the Clare electoral area, was known as "The Liberator" for his winning of Catholic Emancipation in 1829
*
Maura O'Connell
Maura O'Connell (born 16 September 1958) is an Irish singer and actress. She is known for her contemporary interpretations of Irish folk songs, strongly influenced by American country music.
Background
O'Connell was born in Ennis, the main t ...
, singer
*
Mick O'Dea
Mick O'Dea (born 1958) is an Irish artist best known as a painter of portraits and historical subjects.
The second-youngest of five children, O'Dea grew up in Ennis, County Clare, the son of Mick and Margaret O'Dea. He displayed talent for por ...
, artist
*
Simone Kirby
Simone Kirby (born 28 October 1976) is an Irish actress. She is probably best known for playing Oonagh in the Ken Loach film '' Jimmy's Hall''. Other credits include Irene O'Donnell in ''Peaky Blinders'' (2014), Marilyn Hull in ''Notes on Blind ...
, actress
*
Denise Gough
Denise Gough (born 28 February 1980) is an Irish actress. She is the elder sister of the actress Kelly Gough. She has worked in film, television, video games and theatre.
Gough is a double Olivier Award winner.
Early life
Born in Ennis, Cou ...
, actress and two-time Olivier award recipient (2016 and 2018)
*
Kelly Gough
Kelly Gough is an Irish actress, known for her role as Kate Kelly in the RTÉ series ''Raw''. From 2019 to 2020, she appeared in the BBC medical drama ''Casualty'' as Violette Spark.
Career
Gough's first professional acting role was with the Y ...
, actress
*
Mark O'Halloran, screenwriter
*
Dara O'Kearney, international
ultramarathon
An ultramarathon, also called ultra distance or ultra running, is any footrace longer than the traditional marathon length of . Various distances are raced competitively, from the shortest common ultramarathon of to over . 50k and 100k are bot ...
runner and professional
poker
Poker is a family of comparing card games in which players wager over which hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, however in some places the rules may vary. While the earliest known form of the game w ...
player
*
the Hon. Mr Justice Daniel O'Keeffe, former Judge of the
High Court, currently Chairperson of the
Standards in Public Office Commission
The Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO) ( ga, Coimisiún um Chaighdeáin in Oifigí Poiblí) is an independent body established in December 2001 by the Irish Government under the Standards in Public Office Act, 2001. It replaced the Public ...
*
Susan O'Neill singer-songwriter
*
Marcus Paterson
Marcus Paterson (1712 – 12 March 1787) was an Irish politician, Solicitor-General for Ireland and Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas. He became the Member of Parliament for Ballynakill in 1756 and Lisburn in 1768. He was appointed as Soli ...
, eminent eighteenth-century lawyer and politician who became
Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas
The chief justice of the Common Pleas for Ireland was the presiding judge of the Court of Common Pleas in Ireland, which was known in its early years as the Court of Common Bench, or simply as "the Bench", or "the Dublin bench". It was one of the s ...
*
Johnny Patterson
John (Johnny) Francis Patterson (1840–1889) was an Irish singer, songwriter and circus entertainer. He is now best known for composing the song "The Garden Where the Praties Grow".
Early life
He was born in Kilbarron, Feakle, County Clare. B ...
, (1840–1889) singer and composer (born in
Feakle
Feakle (historically ''Feakell'' and ''Fiakil'', from ) is a village in County Clare, Ireland, in the Roman Catholic parish of the same name.
Location
"Paroiste na fiacaile" means parish of the tooth. A legend says that the tooth of Mochonna, t ...
but raised in Ennis)
*
Harriet Smithson
Harriet Constance Smithson (18 March 1800 – 3 March 1854), most commonly known as Harriet Smithson, who also went by Henrietta Constance Smithson,, Murphy, Groghegan, 2015 p.196. Harriet Smithson Berlioz, and Miss H.C. Smithson, was an Anglo- ...
, actress and first wife of French composer
Hector Berlioz
In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...
*
Stephen Woulfe,
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
politician who became
Solicitor-General for Ireland
The Solicitor-General for Ireland was the holder of an Irish and then (from the Act of Union 1800) United Kingdom government office. The holder was a deputy to the Attorney-General for Ireland, and advised the Crown on Irish legal matters. On rar ...
in 1836 and as
Attorney-General for Ireland
The Attorney-General for Ireland was an Irish and then (from the Act of Union 1800) United Kingdom government office-holder. He was senior in rank to the Solicitor-General for Ireland: both advised the Crown on Irish legal matters. With the ...
in 1838; he became first Catholic to be Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer
*
Thomas Flanagan, finder of the first gold in the immensely rich goldfield of
Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Kalgoorlie is a city in the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia, located east-northeast of Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway. It is sometimes referred to as Kalgoorlie–Boulder, as the surrounding urban area includ ...
in 1893.
*
Matthias Finucane
Matthias Finucane (1737–1814) was an Irish barrister and judge of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. He is notable chiefly for divorcing his wife, which was an unusual move for the time.Ball p.228
Career
He was born in Enni ...
, judge of the
Court of Common Pleas (Ireland)
The Court of Common Pleas was one of the principal courts of common law in Ireland. It was a mirror image of the equivalent court in England. Common Pleas was one of the four courts of justice which gave the Four Courts in Dublin, which is still ...
In popular culture
*Ennis is referred to in James Joyce's ''
Ulysses
Ulysses is one form of the Roman name for Odysseus, a hero in ancient Greek literature.
Ulysses may also refer to:
People
* Ulysses (given name), including a list of people with this name
Places in the United States
* Ulysses, Kansas
* Ulysse ...
''
*Ennis is mentioned in the songs "Isobel" by British performer
Dido
Dido ( ; , ), also known as Elissa ( , ), was the legendary founder and first queen of the Phoenician city-state of Carthage (located in modern Tunisia), in 814 BC.
In most accounts, she was the queen of the Phoenician city-state of Tyre (t ...
, and "At The Ceili" by
Celtic Woman
Celtic Woman is an all-female Irish musical ensemble conceived and created by David Kavanagh, Sharon Browne and David Downes, a former musical director of the Irish stage show ''Riverdance.'' In 2004, Downes recruited five Irish female music ...
Townlands and civil parishes
The town of Ennis is situated in parts of the civil parishes of
Doora,
Drumcliff
Drumcliff or Drumcliffe () is a village in County Sligo, Ireland. It is 8 km (5 miles) north of Sligo town on the N15 road on a low gravel ridge between the mountain of Ben Bulben and Drumcliff bay. It is on the Drumcliff river, original ...
,
Kilraghtis
Kilraghtis ( ga, Cill Reachtais) is a civil parish of County Clare, Ireland.
It covers an area northeast of the town of Ennis, and includes the Ennis suburb of Roslevan.
Location
The parish of Kilraghtis is in the barony of Bunratty Upper. ...
and
Templemaley
Templemaley ( ga, Teampall Uí Mháille) is a civil parish in County Clare, Ireland. It contains the village of Barefield and part of the town of Ennis.
Location
The parish of Templemaley is in the barony of Bunratty Upper, east of Ennis. ...
.
Townland
A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic origi ...
s are:
*Doora: Ballaghboy, Bunnow, Gaurus, and Knockanean
*Drumcliff: Cahircalla Beg, Cahircalla More, Claureen, Cloghleagh, Clonroad Beg, Clonroad More, Drumbiggil, Drumcliff, Lifford, Loughvella, and Shanvogh
*Kilraghtis: Rosslevan
*Templemaley: Ballycorey, Cappahard, Dulick, Knockaderry, and Knockanoura
See also
*
List of abbeys and priories in Ireland (County Clare)
*
List of towns and villages in Ireland
*
Roslevan, Ennis
References
External links
Official Ennis websiteThe Tidy Towns of Ireland "Celebrating 50 years"
{{Authority control
County towns in the Republic of Ireland
Towns and villages in County Clare
Parishes of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe