Understand
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The O'Brien dynasty, descendants of Brian Boru, ruled this corner of Ireland when they weren't bossing it all. Your man himself was born at Killaloe on the Shannon and their bastion was in Limerick. In the 12th -century the O'Brien's relocated to Inis Cluana Rámhfhada, "island of the long rowing meadow" on the River Fergus. Here grew up a royal residence and a Franciscan Friary, and other religious centres were established in the lush surrounding countryside. Religious power was broken by the Dissolution, but Inis or Ennis continued to grow as a provincial capital under the Tudors. It never had walls, and in the 17th century when Catholics and other suspect minorities were forbidden to live in the walled cities, they came to live here and added to its prosperity. The 19th century saw the horrors of the Great Famine, and many left for North America, but Ennis' status was confirmed when Irish county government was overhauled. It remains a market town, with light industry and within commuting distance of Shannon Airport and Limerick city.
Tourist information is available at the Clare Museum, see below.
Get in
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Shannon Airport (SNN IATA) is 15 km south of Ennis, with many flights from the USA, UK and Europe. The carriers are Aer Lingus and Ryanair. There's car rental at the airport, buses, or a taxi to Ennis town might cost €60.
Trains from Dublin Heuston run hourly to Limerick Colbert, taking two hours, whence trains run to Ennis every couple of hours (taking 40 min). Four or five of these continue to Galway, taking 75 min from Ennis via Gort and Athenry. See Irish Rail for timetables, fares and online tickets.
Be grateful that they scrapped the West Clare Railway in 1961. It meandered from Ennis to the coast, or more often failed to: see Kilkee for this tale of woe.
1 Ennis railway and bus station is 500 m east of town centre. The railway station has no ticket office, but there are machines and toilets.
By bus: Dublin Coach 300 / M7 runs hourly from Dublin Burgh Quay via Dublin Heuston Station, Kildare, Limerick and Bunratty to Ennis, taking 3 hr 30 min. Direct buses from Dublin Airport also run to Limerick.
Expressway Bus 51 runs hourly from Cork via Mallow, Limerick, Bunratty and Shannon Airport to Ennis, and continues to Gort and Galway. From Limerick it takes an hour, with the last bus around 8PM. Don't take X51, which only stops at the airport between Limerick and Galway.
Bus Éireann 330 runs hourly from Shannon Airport, taking an hour via Shannon town, Newmarket-on-Fergus and Clarecastle.
Bus 343 from Limerick now only runs as far as the airport, where you have to change for the 330.
Bus 333 runs from Kilkee via Milltown Malbay, Lahinch, Ennistymon and Corofin to Ennis, with six M-Sa and two on Sunday.
Bus 336 runs from Kilkee via Kilrush to Ennis, taking 65 min. There are six M-Sa and three on Sunday.
Bus 350 follows the coast from Galway six times every day, taking almost 3 hours via Kinvara, Ballyvaughan, Fanore, Lisdoonvarna, Doolin, Cliffs of Moher, Liscannor, Lahinch, Ennistymon, Corofin and Inagh to Ennis.
Local Link Bus R337 runs from Ennis to the Shannon Ferry pier at Killimer then continues to Kilrush, with 3 M-Sa and two on Sunday. It doesn't reach Kilkee.
By road from Dublin take M7 west, which bypasses Limerick to become N18 / M18, then heads north to Ennis and Galway.
Get around
[edit]The town is compact and easily walked. Clare Abbey is a bit of a hike, and you need a car to reach Quin Abbey.
Taxi firms in town are AAA Taxis (+353 65 689 2999), ABC (+353 86 734 9024), Burren (+353 65 682 3456) and Swiftcab (+353 65 684 4600).
See
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- Clare Museum, Arthur's Row V95 EC92 (50 yards east of O'Connell monument), ☏ +353 65 682 3382. Daily 9:30AM-1PM, 2-5PM. Small museum of local history. Free.
- 1 Ennis Friary, Lower Abbey St V95 AN28. Apr-Oct daily 10AM-6PM. Ruin of a 13th-century Franciscan Friary. The Franciscans were ejected after the Dissolution but they maintained a secret presence in the area and the church has been returned to them, though they now use the nearby Church of the Immaculate Conception. The nave has been re-roofed and displays a selection of 15th- to 16th-century limestone carvings. Adult €5, conc €4, child €3.
- 2 Daniel O'Connell monument commemorates his by-election victory here in 1828. As a Catholic he was unable to take his seat in the British Parliament. Prime Minister the Duke of Wellington (himself a Dubliner) had little time for Catholics but realised that this could provoke an uprising, so the Catholic Relief Act was passed in 1829. This Act wasn't retrospective so O'Connell had to seek re-election, which was unopposed. It was used as a model to end similar discrimination against Jews.
- 3 Ennis Cathedral, O'Connell St, ☏ +353 65 682 4043. The Roman Catholic Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul opened in 1843. Construction has been in phases since, most recently in 1996 after fire damage.
- 4 Muhammad Ali monument is on Turnpike Rd just south of the centre. Abe Grady emigrated from here in the 1860s to Kentucky, where he married an African-American woman freed from slavery. Their daughter was Odessa Lee, who married Cassius Clay Snr, whose son was Cassius Clay Jnr (1942-2016), the champion heavyweight boxer who took the name Muhammad Ali.
- 5 Clare Abbey, Limerick Rd. 24 hours. Ruined 12th-century Augustinian Abbey looking over the River Fergus, with an impressive hollow nave. It's cut off from town by the railway track, so approach via the N85 roundabout (bus 343) and follow the lane east parallel to N85. Free.
- 6 Quin Abbey, The Commons, Quin (14 km southeast of Ennis). 24 hours. Ruined 15th-century Franciscan Friary, built over a wrecked castle. It's roofless but the cloister and other components are intact. Free.
- St Finghin's Church is a ruin 100 m west of Quin Abbey, linked by a footbridge over the little River Rine. It was built around 1280 along with the castle and wrecked in the same assault.
- 7 Knappogue Castle, Quin V95 VH60 (20 km southeast of Ennis), ☏ +353 61 711 222. 15th-century Tower House with walled garden, only open for events such as weddings.
- 8 Craggaunowen, Deerpark North, Kilmurry V95 AD7E (15 km east of Ennis), ☏ +353 61 711 222. Apr-Oct daily 10AM-4PM. There's not much left of the 16th-century castle, but around it is an outdoor museum recreating prehistoric farmsteads, crannogs and a souterrain and ringfort. Adult €10, conc or child €8.
- 9 Dysert O'Dea is a historic area 10 km northwest of Ennis, west of the road to Corofin. The church and "White Cross of St Tola" are from the 12th and 13th centuries, richly carved. The castle just north is from the 15th century, and houses Clare Archaeology Centre. A 3-km walking trail around the castle takes you past over 20 ancient monuments.
- 10 Dromore Woods 10 km north of Ennis are a nature reserve fringing a lough with a ruined castle and other ancient sites.
Do
[edit]- What's on? Listen to Clare FM on 95.2-96.6 MHz, or read Clare Champion, Clare Echo or Clare People.
- Arc Cinema (formerly Empire) is at 36 Parnell St V95 YX8F.
- glór is an event space on Causeway Link V95 VHP0.
- Gaelic games: Clare County GAA play Gaelic football and hurling at Cusack Park V95 YP98 (Páirc Uí Chíosóg, capacity 14,864), on the riverbank east of town centre.
- Golf: Ennis GC is west side of town at Drumbiggil V95 D2YX. White tees 5706 yards, par 70.
- Other courses are at Woodstock Hotel and Dromoland Castle.
- Clare Garden Festival is a garden, plant and food market held at Ennis Showgrounds on the last Sunday in April.
- Flead Nua is a traditional music festival held over 10 days late May to early June.
- Clare Food & Drink Fleadh is in early October.
- Ennis Trad Fest is held in November.
Buy
[edit]- Supermarkets: Francis St north of town centre near the GAA ground has Tesco and Aldi, both open daily 8AM-10PM.
- Farmers Market is on Friday 8AM-1PM in Roslevan Shopping Centre V95 FC04 on Tulla Road.
- Chapel Lane Market is on Saturday 10AM-4PM. All the stall goods are hand-crafted, hand-grown or home-baked.
Eat
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- Town centre: lots. They include Forty One within Queen's Hotel (below), Storehouse on Abbey St, Brogan's (below), Market Bar on Merchants Square, La Strada on Parnell St, Tulsi on Carmody St, Milano on O'Connell St, Passatempo on Barrack St, and Coco on Barrack St.
- Brogan's, 24 O'Connell St V95 XRW8, ☏ +353 65 684 4365. M-Th noon-11:30PM, F-Su noon-1AM. Great traditional pub with live music every night, but it's the food that earns the great reviews.
- Poet's Corner and Town Hall Bistro are within Old Ground Hotel at 58 O'Connell St, see below.
Drink
[edit]- This is Ireland, you'll go dizzy just tallying all the pubs, let alone sampling them.
- Knox's Pub, 18 Abbey St V95 AX83, ☏ +353 65 682 2871. Su-Th 11AM-midnight, F Sa 11AM-2AM. Friendly traditional pub, great atmosphere. With Storehouse Restaurant.
- Ciarán's Bar, 2 Francis St V95 V96W, ☏ +353 86 867 4695. M-F 4-11:30PM, Sa 2PM-1AM, Su 2-11PM. Great traditional pub with live music.
- Queen's Hotel (below) is a mid-range hotel, but the bar and nightclub are open late so it's maybe one for drinking in rather than sleeping.
- Knappogue Castle Irish Whiskey is a single malt, still uncommon in Ireland though this one's been on the market since 1998. It's produced by Castle Brands, now part of Pernod Ricard, and they're coy about where it's actually distilled. Cooley Distillery in Dundalk is the best guess, but "somewhere in Ireland" is all that the law requires.
Sleep
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- Queens Hotel is central at 41 Abbey St V95 XFX4, but basic and above a noisy disco.
- Old Ground Hotel, Station Rd V95 WDX2 (corner of O'Connell St), ☏ +353 65 682 8127. Clean friendly efficient hotel right in town centre. B&B double €250.
- Temple Gate Hotel, The Square V95 HOXK (off O'Connell St), ☏ +353 65 682 3300. Pleasant modern hotel. B&B double €200.
- 1 Treacy's West County Hotel, Limerick Rd V95 C9CT, ☏ +353 65 686 9600. Run down decor, cleaning, service and maintenance poor, but friendly staff. B&B double €150.
- 2 Knockaderry House, Knockaderry Grove, Tulla Rd V95 YX2W, ☏ +353 85 141 9518. Charming B&B in a former dairy farm. B&B double €100.
- 3 Hotel Woodstock, Shanaway Rd, Ballylannidy V95 TR25, ☏ +353 65 689 9800, [email protected]. Pleasant upscale country house hotel with pool, sauna and jacuzzi. B&B double €140.
- Splurge at 4 Dromoland Castle Hotel, Dromoland, Newmarket-on-Fergus V95 ATD3 (10 km south of Ennis), ☏ +353 61 368 144. Baronial-style "castle" built in 1835 and now run as a very plush resort hotel, excellent reviews for comfort and service. Pricey? - you should see the bar bill for those guarding the VIPs who've stayed here. B&B double €1000.
Connect
[edit]As of March 2025, Ennis and its approach roads have 5G from all Irish carriers.
Go next
[edit]- The coast is dramatic to the northwest around Doolin, with the Cliffs of Moher, and the strange bleak karst of The Burren.
- Bunratty just east of the airport can feel touristy and kitsch, but it's a genuine old castle with an open-air museum.
- Limerick is a historic city with a castle and Georgian centre, a miniature Dublin.