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County Clare

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For other uses, see County Clare (disambiguation).

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Poulnabrone Dolmen in the Burren.
File:P1000984.JPG
The Cliffs of Moher.

County Clare (Contae an Chláir in Irish) is in the Irish province of Munster. It is located on the west coast of Ireland, northwest of the River Shannon. Area: 3,147 km² (1,215 square miles). Its capital is the town of Ennis.

County Clare succeeded the district of Thomond (which was part of Connacht), and when first created it was sometimes called County Thomond. Its nickname is the Banner County, which may refer to a former local tradition of carrying banners at political meetings and public occasions.

Geography

County Clare contains The Burren, a unique karst region, which contains rare flowers and fauna. At the western edge of The Burren, facing the Atlantic Ocean, are the Cliffs of Moher. The county's Southern border is the River Shannon, the longest river in Ireland. Along this estuary is the town of Shannon and the location of Shannon International Airport. This airport was the first airport to have a duty-free zone.

Main towns

Other small towns and villages

Islands

Demographics

Many Clare surnames are derived from the powerful septs which ruled over the area. Common surnames are O'Brien, McNamara, O'Grady, McInerney, Hogan, Hickey, Griffin, Whelan, McMahon, Clancy and Considine. In addition many unusual surnames such as Talty, Lillis, O'Halloran, Minogue, Clune, Finucane, Ginnane, O'Davoren, McGann, McLysaght, Ronan, O'Loughlin, Carlisle, and Troy can be found due to the isolated nature of the county.

Transport

Percy French, a 19th Century Balladist, wrote his most famous song Are Ye Right There Michael? lambasting the inefficient rail network in the country at that time – and particularly, the West Clare Railway. French recounts his journey by rail between the Clare towns of Ennis and Kilkee. Unfortunately, bad as the rail network was in French's day, most of the system was closed starting in the 1940s. It was dug up and dismantled by successive governments over several decades in the 1950s, 60s and 70s as it was deemed uneconomic.

Places of interest

County Clare is known for beautiful natural scenery.

Paddy Hannan – born 1840 at Gorteen, in Dangan, Quin, Co. Clare – started the world's biggest gold rush, in 1893 in Australia

People

Famous people born in County Clare include, King Brian Boru, poet Brian Merriman, writer Edna O'Brien, scholar and historian Eugene O'Curry, Shane Cahill, renowned Irish archaeologist, Dominic Enright, acclaimed philosopher and theologian, Michael Cusack, founder of the Gaelic Athletic Association, Fr. John O'Brien, renowned Irish organist, John Holland inventor of the submarine, and James Bartholomew Blackwell, an eighteenth- and nineteenth-century revolutionary soldier. Former president of Ireland Patrick Hillery is from Miltown Malbay. Contemporary Marxist theorist Sean Matgamna was born and raised in the county.

Music

County Clare has a strong history of Traditional music. It is home of the Kilfenora Céilí Band, Stockton's Wing, Sharon Shannon, Eoin O'Neill, Eamon Cotter, Peadar O'Loughlin, Martin Hayes, the famous Lourda Kerin and legendary tin-whistlist Micho Russell. Ennis in County Clare is also the birthplace of Grammy-nominated songtress Maura O'Connell whose grandmother started a fish market in the Town. The county has many traditional music festivals and one of the most well known is the Willie Clancy Summer School, which is held every July in the town of Miltown Malbay in memory of the renowned uilleann piper, Willie Clancy. On the more contemporary music scene you have The Walls who are from Ennistymon (former members of The Stunning).

Sport

The Clare hurling team has one of the best records of success in the country in recent years with many cups such as the Liam McCarthy Cup having been won. There is a strong Gaelic Athletic Association(GAA) presence in County Clare with the founder of the GAA, Michael Cusack, having been born in Carron which is situated in the heart of the Burren in North Clare.

Irish rugby internationals from Clare include Keith Wood, Anthony Foley & Marcus Horan.

See also

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