Ennis 346298 218916333 2008-06-12T19:18:44Z Postdlf 29695 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/Krash2384|Krash2384]] ([[User talk:Krash2384|talk]]) to last version by Guliolopez {{otheruses1|the Irish county town}} {{Infobox Irish Place| name = Ennis | gaeilge = Inis | crest image = | motto = | map image = Ireland map County Clare Magnified.png | pin coords = left: 101px; top: 66px | north coord = 52.8463 | west coord = 8.9807 | irish grid = R333780 | area = | elevation = 3 m | province = [[Munster]] | county = [[County Clare]] | town pop = 24,253 | census yr = 2006 | web = www.visitennis.ie | |}} [[Image:Ennis 01.jpg|thumb|225px|The [[St. Peter and St. Paul Cathedral, Ennis|Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul]] rises above O'Connell Street, Ennis]] '''Ennis''' ({{Irish place name|Inis|Island}}) is the [[county town]] of [[County Clare|Clare]] in [[Republic of Ireland|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 ''{{lang|ga|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 [[List of towns in the Republic of Ireland by population|11th largest urban centre]] in the country and bigger than the cities of [[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 [[stall (enclosure)|market stall]]s on each Saturday through the year, although the practice has steadily decreased over the past few decades. The Town Centre consists of narrow streets and laneways dating back to medieval times, and many fine old buildings. Of the main thoroughfares, Parnell Street has been [[pedestrian street|pedestrianised]], while the others, O'Connell Street, Bindon Street and Abbey Street are [[one-way street|one way]]. [[St. Peter and St. Paul Cathedral, Ennis|The Cathedral of Saint Peter and Saint Paul]] can also be found in the town. 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. ==Transport (bus, rail & air services)== 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 (city)|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. In 1976 passenger trains were withdrawn on the railway line from Limerick to [[Claremorris]] via Ennis. County Clare thus became the only Irish county outside [[Ulster]] without a passenger train service. The closure of Ennis station proved to be only temporary; fourteen rail services per day are now provided to and from Limerick City, from where connecting rail services are available to both Dublin and Cork. The [[Western Railway Corridor]] north of Ennis (to [[Athenry]] and Galway) is expected to reopen in 2009. 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. Trains ran from the same railway station as still used by mainline [[Rail transport in Ireland|Irish railway services]]. The line was [[CIÉ]]'s last narrow gauge railway and was finally closed in 1961, despite investment in new diesel trains in the early/mid 1950s. ==Education== Primary Schools in Ennis include [[Ennis National School]], established in 1897, [[Cloughleigh National School]], Gaelscoil Mhicíl Cíosóg, Holy Family School & CBS. There are several secondary level schools located in Ennis, including [[Rice College]], [[Ennis Community College]], [[Colaiste Mhuire (Ennis)|Colaiste Mhuire]], [[St. Flannan's College]], and [[Gaelcholaiste an Chláir]]. ==Culture== Ennis is a stronghold of traditional music with many musicians in residence and regularly playing locally. The town is host each May to the annual ''{{lang|ga|Fleadh Nua}}'', a traditional music festival and is home to the [[Glór Irish Music Centre]], which hosts music concerts, comedy acts and plays. There was a thriving alternative music scene in Ennis, but in recent years there has been a shortage of alternative music venues and consequently, the local independent bands have been forced to relocate to the neighbouring cities of Limerick and Galway. ==Sister cities== A [[sister city]] of Ennis is [[Phoenix, Arizona]].<ref>[http://phoenix.gov//SISTER/siscomm.html Phoenix Sister Cities Commission<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Each summer an average of four 4th/5th year students partake in the Phoenix Youth Ambassador Program, which is facilitated by the city of Phoenix twinning committee and the Ennis Chamber Of Commerce. It is also twinned with the town of [[Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet]]; in Southern France.<ref>[http://www.clarecoco.ie/foi/FOI_Section_15_Ennis_TC.pdf]</ref> ==Gallery== <gallery> Image:Ennis 02.jpg|A monument to Irish nationalist hero [[Daniel O'Connell]] stands atop a tall column in the aptly named O'Connell Square, the center of Ennis. Image:Ennis r-fergus.jpg|The [[River Fergus]] flows through Ennis. Image:Ennis Friary.jpg|Ennis Friary, constructed in 1242. Image:St. Columba's Church in Ennis.jpg|St. Columba's Church.<small>The disestablishment of the Church of Ireland from 1871 by an Act of Parliament led that Church to sell many of its estates and bishops' palaces, in the process laying off many Protestant workers who themselves then moved away. However the wealthy protestant William Murphy donated land outside the town center for the building of this quaint church.</small> </gallery> ==People== *[[Daniel O'Connell]], MP returned for the Clare electoral area, was known as "The Liberator" for his winning of Catholic Emancipation in 1829. *Thomas Dillon, record-breaking Triathlon athlete, was born in Ennis in 1964 and attended [[St. Flannans College|St Flannan's College]] there. *Boxer [[Muhammad Ali]]'s great grandfather Abe Grady was from the Turnpike area of Ennis. <ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/boxing/1810535.stm BBC: Grady emigrated in the 1860s to Kentucky where he married a freed black slave.]</ref> *Former [[Match Of The Day]] presenter [[Des Lynam]] was born in Ennis. *Singer [[Maura O'Connell]] comes from the market area of Ennis *The scriptwriter [[Mark O'Halloran]], who wrote the screenplays for the films [[Adam and Paul]] and [[Garage (film)|Garage]], is from Ennis. *[[William Mulready]] (1786 - 1863) - Genre Painter *[[James Bartholomew Blackwell]] (b. 1763/1765 - d. ?) - Revolutionary soldier ==Trivia== {{Trivia|date=July 2007}} *Ennis is mentioned in the song "Isobel" by British performer [[Dido (singer)|Dido]]. *Parts of [[Father Ted]] were filmed in Ennis. *Ennis is mentioned in the song "At The Ceili" by the international singing sensation [[Celtic Woman]]. ==References== {{Reflist}} ==See also== *[[List of abbeys and priories in the Republic of Ireland#County Clare|List of abbeys and priories in the Republic of Ireland (County Clare)]] *[[List of towns in the Republic of Ireland]] ==External links== {{commons|Category:Ennis|Ennis}} *[http://www.visitennis.ie Official Ennis website] *[http://www.clarepeople.com Ennis Newspaper] *[http://www.fleadhnua.com/ Fleadh Nua] [[Category:Towns and villages in County Clare]] [[Category:County towns in the Republic of Ireland]] [[bg:Енис]] [[da:Ennis]] [[de:Ennis]] [[es:Ennis]] [[eu:Ennis]] [[fr:Ennis]] [[ga:Inis (baile)]] [[it:Ennis]] [[lt:Enisas]] [[nl:Ennis]] [[nn:Ennis]] [[pl:Ennis (Irlandia)]] [[pt:Ennis]] [[sv:Ennis]]