Ennis is the county town of County Clare and the cathedral town of the diocese of Killaloe. The origins of the town are usually traced to the foundation of the franciscan friary of one of the O'Briens c.1250; there was also a castle, and a town grew up around them. This town was of wood, and was completely destroyed by a Great Fire.

A more permanent medieval town grew up to replace it, and the present narrow streets and alleys of the town centre still reflect the medieval town plan.

Like all medieval towns it centred on a market square with the principal streets (Abbey St., O'Connell St., High St/Parnell St.) radiating off it. The market moved at some stage to the present 'market', behind Parnell St., and is held on Saturday mornings. The original square is the site of a column with a statue of Daniel O'Connell, who, by being elected M.P. for Clare in 1828 forced the passing of the Catholic Emancipation Act of 1829 and the removal of most of the remaining disabilities under which Catholics had suffered since the Penal Laws.

The other notable public representative associated with Clare is Eamonn DeValera ('Dev') who became M.P. for Clare in 1917 and represented the county until 1959; his statue stands on a limestone plinth in front of the Court House, a substantial building with a stylish portico erected in 1852. The town museum, in a converted church in Harmony Row, with the town library in a modern extension at the back, is named in his honour, and contains, as well as material associated with DeValera, an eclectic collection of objects of local interest, such as a door from one of the Armada ships. The library has won European prizes for its excellence and is one of the first town libraries in the country. Coincidentally, the town and county are represented today in the Dáil (Parliament) by DeValera's grandaughter, Síle DeValera. (c2001)

Ennis is one of the nicest towns in the county for a walk about; the streets are narrow and bustling, there are many small pubs and little shops.

Spellissey's second-hand bookshop (previously in Parnell St.) is well worth a visit. Sean has written and compiled many books about County Clare and Galway. Some of them can be found in our bookstore.

Parnell visited Ennis to turn the first sod of the West Clare Railway, now sadly closed. (When the song writer Percy Ffrench travelled on this, which was noted for its easy-going attitude to time, he was inspired to write his famous song, 'Are you right there Michael?', a comic ditty with a catchy tune mocking the casual way in which the trains were run. The railway took exception to this and sued him for defamation.) The railway ran from Ennis to Kilrush, with branch lines to Moyasta and Corofin. It survived as part of CIE (the State railway company) until the sixties, when sadly it was shut down for economic reasons; one of the steam engines used on the line is 'preserved' at the station in Ennis. This station was also threatened with closure by CIE, as was the railway line (the Sligo-Limerick line) which runs through it, and it probably will eventually succeed in this. Ireland once had an extensive railway system; today there are a few main lines all centred in Dublin, and CIE has either proposed or effected closure of virtually everything else.(The letters CIE stand for 'Comhras Iompair Éireann', not 'Close It Entirely' as has been suggested. In fairness to CIE, it has been neglected by successive governments, which favoured road transport.)

Cusack Park, named after Michael Cusack, is the county ground of the Clare G.A.A.; it is one of the nicer sports grounds in the county and is not a cement eyesore that so many grounds are.

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. Ennis has had a long and colourful history - too long to go into here. Because it never had town walls it became a location for many Catholic merchants from Limerick when Catholics were forbidden to reside in the walled towns by the Penal Laws, and much of its past prosperity is attributable to this influx.

Today it is a prosperous town, rapidly expanding in both size and population.

Culture wise, Ennis has in the shape of Glõr, developed a venue frequented by both international and local musicians, artists and very popular with gig-goers and culture-seekers. There is also a multi-plex cinema in the town, showing the latest movies from the Hollywood dream factory - and many other new releases both local and international.