Republic of Ireland, Ennis

Ennis is the county town of Clare in Ireland. Situated on the River Fergus, it lies north of Limerick and south of Galway on the main N18 road connecting these two cities. Its name is a shortening of the original Inis Cluain Ramh Fhada ("Long Rowing Meadow Island").

The 2006 census indicates that Ennis had a population of 24,253 making it the largest town in Munster and the sixth largest town in Ireland. It is the 11th largest urban centre in the country and bigger than Kilkenny and Armagh.

Heritage and economy

Ennis grew up around the Franciscan friary. The large building was an important seat of learning at its peak and was built by the O'Brien family in approximately 1242. It was a religious centre until the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

Ennis is an historically important market town. The market square today is still home to market stalls on each Saturday through the year, although the practice has steadily decreased over the past few decades.

Ennis has several major shopping centres and the Town Centre itself (consisting primarily of O'Connell, Parnell and Abbey Streets and the Market area) contains numerous shops, restaurants and pubs.

Ennis has become an important centre of Irish traditional music over the last fifteen years, and hosts the Fleadh Nua in late May each year, the second largest traditional music festival in Ireland.

Culture

Ennis is a stronghold of music of all types from rock to traditional, with many musicians living and regularly playing locally. The town is host each May to the annual Fleadh Nua, a traditional music festival and is home to the Glór Irish Music Centre, which hosts music concerts, comedy acts and plays.

Transport

Ennis is served by both bus and rail links to all major cities and towns in Ireland.

Bus services are provided to Shannon Airport, Galway, Limerick, Cork, Dublin and all routes in between and run nearly every hour. Shannon Airport is 20 minutes from Ennis, providing daily flights to European and US destinations.

Ennis was formerly the starting point of the West Clare Railway, a narrow gauge railway which ran from Ennis to Ennistymon, Miltown Malbay and onwards to the towns and villages along the West Clare coastline.