Ennis
Ennis
Inis | ||
---|---|---|
Town | ||
Eircode routing key V95 | ||
Telephone area code | +353(0)65 | |
Irish Grid Reference | R333780 | |
Website | www |
Ennis (Irish: Inis, meaning 'island' or 'river meadow')[2] 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 County Clare, with a population of 27,923,[1] making it the 6th largest town, and 11th largest urban settlement, as of the 2022 census. Dating from the 12th century the town's Irish name is short for Irish: Inis Cluana Rámhfhada, meaning "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
The name Ennis derives from the Irish word "Inis", meaning "island". This name relates to an island called Inis Laoi ("Calf Island") or Inis Cluana Rámhfhada ("island of the long rowing meadow") formed between two courses of the River Fergus. The history of Ennis is closely linked with the
When Clare became a county under the rule of Elizabeth I 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.[5]
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
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 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 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 corporation from the early 17th century.
Politically, Ennis was long a Fianna Fáil 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, founder of the party and former President of Ireland, stands outside Ennis Courthouse.[8]
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.
Heritage and economy
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 for shipment abroad.[13]
Ennis is a historically important market town. The market square is still home to market stalls 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.[14]
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
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 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
Transport
Situated 14 km from Shannon Airport, 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 is on the Clon Road toward the east of the town, which links to the main N18 in either direction.
Bus services are provided to Shannon Airport, Galway, Limerick, Cork, 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.[16] The section from Ennis to Gort was opened in 2010.[17]
Ennis was formerly the starting point of the West Clare Railway, a narrow-gauge railway which ran from Ennis to Ennistymon, Milltown Malbay 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's last narrow-gauge railway and finally closed in 1961, despite investment in new diesel trains in the early/mid-1950s.
Education
Primary Schools in Ennis include
Culture
Ennis is a stronghold of
In 2016 and 2017 Ennis hosted the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 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 (GAA) playing grounds and the home of Clare GAA. 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 134 acres (54 ha) of wood and parkland. Among the facilities available are four conventional playing pitches, full size all-weather floodlit playing pitch, a floodlit 400 m (1,300 ft) 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).
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1821 | 6,701 | — |
1831 | 7,711 | +15.1% |
1841 | 9,318 | +20.8% |
1851 | 7,843 | −15.8% |
1861 | 7,041 | −10.2% |
1871 | 6,503 | −7.6% |
1881 | 6,307 | −3.0% |
1891 | 5,460 | −13.4% |
1901 | 5,093 | −6.7% |
1911 | 5,472 | +7.4% |
1926 | 5,518 | +0.8% |
1936 | 5,897 | +6.9% |
1946 | 5,871 | −0.4% |
1951 | 6,097 | +3.8% |
1956 | 8,292 | +36.0% |
1961 | 8,410 | +1.4% |
1966 | 9,181 | +9.2% |
1971 | 10,840 | +18.1% |
1981 | 14,640 | +35.1% |
1986 | 15,547 | +6.2% |
1991 | 16,058 | +3.3% |
1996 | 17,726 | +10.4% |
2002 | 22,051 | +24.4% |
2006 | 24,553 | +11.3% |
2011 | 25,360 | +3.3% |
2016 | 25,276 | −0.3% |
2022 | 27,923 | +10.5% |
[23][24] |
International relations
Ennis is
It is also twinned with the town of Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet in southern France.[27] Ennis is also twinned with the town of Clare, South Australia and the city of Clare, Michigan, United States
Information Age Town
In September 1997, Ennis became Ireland's first and only Information Age Town.
Tidy Town
In 2012, 2013 and 2021, Ennis won the Irish Tidy Towns Competition in the Large Urban Centre category.[29]
Gallery
-
Monument toby-electionsin 1828.
-
Fish ladder on the River Fergus which flows through Ennis.
-
Ennis Friary
Notable people
- James Bartholomew Blackwell, French Revolutionary soldier
- Tony MacMahon, Irish button accordion player and radio and television broadcaster.
- Thomas Dermody, 18th-century poet
- Michael Enright, Democratic Left politician
- banjo championshipat age 14
- Maeve Kelly, novelist
- Michael Houlihan, former President of the Law Society of Ireland
- Des Lynam, Irish presenter on British television
- Sean Matgamna, Trotskyist theorist
- William Mulready, 19th-century genre painter
- Máiréad Ní Ghráda, Irish playwright and poet
- Matthew O'Brien, 19th-century mathematician
- Daniel O'Connell, MP returned for the Clare electoral area, was known as "The Liberator" for his winning of Catholic Emancipation in 1829
- Maura O'Connell, singer
- Mick O'Dea, artist
- Simone Kirby, actress
- Denise Gough, actress and two-time Olivier award recipient (2016 and 2018)
- Kelly Gough, actress
- Mark O'Halloran, screenwriter
- Dara O'Kearney, international ultramarathon runner and professional poker player
- the Hon. Mr Justice Daniel O'Keeffe, former Judge of the High Court, currently Chairperson of the Standards in Public Office Commission
- Susan O'Neill singer-songwriter
- Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas
- Johnny Patterson, (1840–1889) singer and composer (born in Feakle but raised in Ennis)
- Harriet Smithson, actress and first wife of French composer Hector Berlioz
- Patrick Walshe (born 1952), painter
- Stephen Woulfe, Liberal politician who became Solicitor-General for Ireland in 1836 and as Attorney-General for Ireland in 1838; he became first Catholic to be Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer
- Kalgoorlie, Western Australiain 1893.
- Matthias Finucane, judge of the Court of Common Pleas (Ireland)
In popular culture
- Ennis is referred to in James Joyce's Ulysses[30]
- Ennis is mentioned in the songs "Isobel" by British performer Dido, and "At The Ceili" by Celtic Woman
Townlands and civil parishes
The town of Ennis is situated in parts of the civil parishes of Doora, Drumcliff, Kilraghtis and Templemaley. Townlands are:[31]
- 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
- ^ a b "Sapmap Area - Settlements - Ennis". Census 2022. CSO. 2022. Archived from the original on 30 July 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
- ^ "Inis/Ennis". logainm.ie. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
- ^ "History of Ennis | VisitEnnis.ie".
- ^ "Ennis Friary | Heritage Ireland".
- ^ "Clare Places – Ennis: Historical Background". Clarelibrary.ie. Archived from the original on 10 May 2010. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
- ^ "Ennis". Ulster Historical Foundation. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- ^ "The Town Hall Bistro at the Old Ground Hotel Ennis". Discover Ireland. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
- ^ "Clare People: Eamon De Valera". Clarelibrary.ie. Archived from the original on 2 May 2010. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
- ^ "Walks in Clare , Ireland Page 1". Goireland.com. Archived from the original on 10 June 2011. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
- ^ "Ennis Flood Relief Scheme To Help Resolve Centuries-Old Problem Says Killeen". Prlog.org. 10 March 2008. Archived from the original on 12 October 2008. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
- ^ "Hottest day of year today | IOL". Breakingnews.iol.ie. 20 November 2009. Archived from the original on 24 November 2009. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
- ^ "Ennis developments and built environment – Page 2 – Irish Architecture Planning Forums". Archiseek.com. Retrieved 8 June 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "About Ennis Town". Ennistowncouncil.ie. Archived from the original on 18 November 2007. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
- ^ "Ennis County Clare". Lookaroundireland.com. Archived from the original on 17 June 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Ennis Under Siege for Fleadh Nua". Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann. 18 February 2009. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 21 March 2009.
- ^ "N18 Ennis Bypass". National Roads Authority. Archived from the original on 31 August 2009. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
- ^ "N18 – Gort to Crusheen" (PDF). National Roads Authority. 24 July 2022. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 February 2011.
- ^ "Ennis Educate Together National School". Eetns.ie. 26 March 2010. Archived from the original on 11 December 2009. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
- LimerickPost.ie. 16 December 2019. Archivedfrom the original on 23 August 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
- ^ "Home". AIT-LIT Consortium. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
- Independent.ie. Archivedfrom the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
- ^ Halloran, Cathy (1 October 2021). "Ireland's newest technological university opens".
- ^ Figure is total for Ennis UD and Ennis environs. "CSO - Census: Census Startpage". Archived from the original on 9 March 2005. Retrieved 1 May 2012. and www.histpop.org for post 1821 figures, For a discussion on the accuracy of pre-famine census returns see JJ Lee "On the accuracy of the Pre-famine Irish censuses", Irish Population, Economy and Society edited by JM Goldstrom and LA Clarkson (1981) p54, in and also New Developments in Irish Population History, 1700–1850 by Joel Mokyr and Cormac O Grada in The Economic History Review, New Series, Vol. 37, No. 4 (November 1984), pp. 473–488.
- ^ "F1015: Population and Average Age by Sex and List of Towns (number and percentages), 2022". Census 2022. Central Statistics Office. April 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
- ^ "Phoenix Sister Cities". Phoenix Sister Cities. Archived from the original on 24 July 2013. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
- ^ Weaver, Cynthia (20 October 2008). "Phoenix Sister Cities Celebrates 20 Years of Friendship with Ennis, Ireland". City of Phoenix, Arizona. Archived from the original on 11 June 2011. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
- ^ "Section 15 Freedom of Information Manual for Ennis Town Council (pdf format)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 November 2007. Retrieved 26 October 2008.
- ^ "Ireland's First Information Age Town 1997". RTÉ Libraries and Archives. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
- ^ "Welcome to TidyTowns Ireland". Tidytowns.ie. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
- ^ "Joycean Pics 2007, Ennis". Atelier Aterui. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
- ^ "Ennis (Inis)". Clare County Library. Archived from the original on 24 October 2013. Retrieved 12 April 2014.