21 Facts About Ennis

Ennis is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland.

Ennis has had considerable success in the Irish Tidy Towns competition.

The history of Ennis is closely linked with the O'Brien dynasty, descendants of Brian Boru.

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.

Related searches

Ennis was governed by a town council from around the 17th century onwards, before the Local Government Reform Act 2014 effectively dissolved this with the creation of the Ennis Municipal District under the authority of Clare County Council.

Politically, Ennis has always been considered a Fianna Fail stronghold.

River Fergus runs through the middle of Ennis and is a well-known trout and salmon fishery.

Ennis continued to expand in the following centuries, mainly as a market town and later as a manufacturing and distributing centre.

Ennis includes many relief organisations, such as The Samaritans, Clare Care and St Vincent De Paul.

Ennis has been a centre for Irish Traditional Music, and since 1974 has hosted the Fleadh Nua in late May each year, the second-largest traditional music festival in Ireland.

Shannon Airport is 15 minutes from Ennis, providing daily flights to European and US destinations.

The Western Railway Corridor north of Ennis reopened on 30 March 2010 with five return services daily.

Ennis is served by local charity Clare bus which provides a fully wheelchair-accessible bus service around the Clare area.

Ennis is a stronghold of traditional music with many musicians in residence and regularly playing locally.

In 2016 and 2017 Ennis hosted the Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann music competition.

Ennis has numerous football clubs that play in various leagues from schoolboys to senior.

Ennis is twinned with the town of Clare, South Australia and the city of Clare, Michigan, United States.

In September 1997, Ennis became Ireland's first and only Information Age Town.

Ennis was used as a test site for VISA Cash, which allowed users to top up a Chip and PIN card with petty cash and purchase goods in local stores.

Town of Ennis is situated in parts of the civil parishes of Doora, Drumcliff, Kilraghtis and Templemaley.