Clarecastle (''An Clár'' or ) is a village just south of

Ennis Ennis ( , meaning 'island' or 'river meadow') is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in Cou ...

in County Clare, Ireland.

Name

The town is named after the Clare Castle, which stands on an island in the narrowest navigable part of the

River Fergus The River Fergus () 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 of Kilmore N ...

. The Irish ''Clár'', meaning a wooden board, is often used for a bridge. The name probably originated as ''Clár adar da choradh'', which means "the bridge between two weirs". Another explanation of the name is that the de Clare family gave the castle its name, since they had acquired land in Kilkenny and Thomond that included the castle. In 1590

County Clare County Clare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...

was named after the castle, which is in a strategic location. Clarecastle (Clare Abbey) is a parish in the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe The Diocese of Killaloe ( ; ) is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in mid-western Ireland, one of six suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Cashel and Emly. The cathedral church of the diocese is the Cathedral of Ss Peter a ...

. It is also known as Ballyea/Clarecastle. Clare Abbey and Killone Abbey are linked by a footpath, the Pilgrim's Road.

History

Clarecastle was once home to a

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...

servicing a variety of

cargo In transportation, cargo refers to goods transported by land, water or air, while freight refers to its conveyance. In economics, freight refers to goods transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. The term cargo is also used in cas ...

, used for

exports An export in international trade is a good produced in one country that is sold into another country or a service provided in one country for a national or resident of another country. The seller of such goods or the service provider is an ...

and the delivery of items into the nearby town of

, which could not be reached by navigation of the

The Port of Clare

The Port of Clare consisted of the main

quay A wharf ( or wharfs), quay ( , also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more Berth (mo ...

of Clarecastle and an additional berthing frontage downstream towards the estuary. Clare was a busy port during its time, allowing safe navigation and berthing for vessels close to the town of Ennis. The quay structure is approximately 155 metres in length and was completed in 1845 under the supervision of

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing i ...

Thomas Rhodes, Principal Engineer to the Shannon Commissioners. The quay is no longer used for cargo or large vessels, but is suitable for berthing of small craft and recreational use, with an annual community

regatta Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wa ...

being held in June. Navigation within the quay area for larger vessels is not available at all states of the

tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables ...

, with the macro-

tidal range Tidal range is the difference in height between high tide and low tide. Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by gravitational forces exerted by the Moon and Sun, by Earth's rotation and by centrifugal force caused by Earth's prog ...

resulting in almost dry conditions at low water springs. During the historical peak of commercial activity at the port, the complicated approaches to Clarecastle from the

estuaries An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environm ...

of the Shannon and Fergus, arising from issues such as limited depth for navigation exacerbated by the presence of estuarine intertidal mudflats and rhythmites, necessitated the use of

maritime pilots A maritime pilot, marine pilot, harbor pilot, port pilot, ship pilot, or simply pilot, is a mariner who has specific knowledge of an often dangerous or congested waterway, such as harbors or river mouths. Maritime pilots know local details s ...

and precluded very large vessels from accessing the quay. The

sediment transport Sediment transport is the movement of solid particles (sediment), typically due to a combination of gravity acting on the sediment, and the movement of the fluid in which the sediment is entrained. Sediment transport occurs in natural systems wh ...

mechanisms in the estuary and lower Fergus are also influenced by historical

land reclamation Land reclamation, often known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new Terrestrial ecoregion, land from oceans, list of seas, seas, Stream bed, riverbeds or lake ...

works. Navigation beyond Clarecastle towards Ennis is precluded by the presence of a

barrage (dam) A barrage is a type of Head (hydraulic), low-head, diversion dam which consists of a number of large gates that can be opened or closed to control the amount of water passing through. This allows the structure to regulate and stabilize river w ...

north of the quay, which serves to limit tidal influence upstream as part of a

flood control Flood management or flood control are methods used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters. Flooding can be caused by a mix of both natural processes, such as extreme weather upstream, and human changes to waterbodies and ru ...

strategy.

Sports

The local GAA team is Clarecastle GAA. The club's colours are black and white and they are known as the Magpies.

Notable people

The composer Gerald Barry was born in Clarecastle in 1952.

Gallery

The Quay Clarecastle.jpg, The quay was once a busy port, acting as port of

The former Clare castle and military barracks.jpg, On the left the ruins of the castle itself, name-giver of the village. In the middle the former military barracks. Bridge over River Fergus Clarecastle.jpg, Built in the 1970s it replaced a five arch bridge to cope with the increasing traffic Roche Clarecastle.JPG, The factory of

Roche F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, commonly known as Roche (), is a Switzerland, Swiss multinational corporation, multinational holding healthcare company that operates worldwide under two divisions: Pharmaceuticals and Diagnostics. Its holding company, ...

used to be the main employer in Clarecastle Estate at Clarecastle - geograph.org.uk - 1872921.jpg, Housing estate off Hill View Clarecastle quay wall at low water.jpg, The quay wall at Clarecastle at low water in 2019.

References

External links

Clarecastle GAA

Website of the Clarecastle Ballyea Heritage and Wildlife Team, with many historical records
{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe Towns and villages in County Clare Parishes of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe