Ennis

Ennis (Irish: Inis) is the county town of Clare in the Republic of 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").

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Ennis grew up around the Franciscan friary. The large building was an important seat of learning in its peak. It was built by the O'Brien family in approximately 1242.

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Ennis was an important market town historically. The market square today is still home to market stalls and some live animal trade. The latter practice has steadily decreased through the years. The foot and mouth disease crisis of 2001 in Ireland had a severe impact on such markets around the country. Thanks to stringent restrictions on movement of animals and such markets, the country avoided a major outbreak, but markets such as that at Ennis struggled to recover.

Irish: Irish may refer to:...

County town: A county town is the 'capital' of a county in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county....

Clare: Clare can refer to:...