Ennis (Irish: Inis, meaning “island”) is the county town of Clare in Munster. The Irish name is short for Inis Cluain Ramh Fhada (“island of the long rowing meadow”). The town is on the River Fergus, north of where it enters the Shannon Estuary, 19 km (12 mi) from Shannon Airport. Ennis has a population of 25,000, making it the largest town in Clare and the 12th largest in Ireland. Clare became a county under the rule of Elizabeth I and Ennis was chosen as its capital by the Earls of Thomond because of its central location and great influence. Ennis received a grant to hold fairs and markets in 1610 and some years later a Charter for a Corporation with a Provost, Free Burgesses, Commonalty and a Town Clerk. Ennis continued to expand in the following centuries, mainly as a market town and later as a manufacturing and distributing centre. Many commodities were conveyed by river to Clarecastle for shipment abroad. read more…
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland’s third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,000, while the addition of the suburban areas contained in the county brings the total to 190,000. Metropolitan Cork has a population of approximately 274,000, while the Greater Cork area is about 380,000. County Cork has earned the nickname of “the Rebel County”, while Corkonians often refer to the city as the “real capital of Ireland”, and themselves as the “Rebels”. read more…
Limerick is the capital of County Limerick in the province of Munster in the southwest of Ireland and has 53,000 inhabitants. It is the historical center of the region and in some fields the center for the West of Ireland, particularly when it comes to tourism along the coast and the national parks in the West and South-East. Limerick is a good start and end point for the exploration of the widely spread national parks in the south. Because of the incredible landscape Ireland is also known as the Emerald Isle. Visitors should catch the right season, because in this part of Ireland it sometimes rains in unbelievable quantities, even if the climate is generally mild. The largest river in Ireland, the Shannon, flows through the city and behind Limerick as Shannon Estuary in the Atlantic. The regional airport is the link to Dublin. Visitors who want to learn more about country, people and culture on the way to / from Dublin can catch an intercity bus. The trip by private or rental car can easily become an adventure. During the summer months the Limerick Region is the ideal terrain for motorcyclists who prefer Bed & Breakfast hostels. This allows the visitors to experience the origin of this part of Ireland best and in the truest sense. Limerick, despite the size, is the “second capital” of Ireland and in contrast to Dublin the much quieter but still vibrant representative. The city’s history goes back to a Viking settlement, by the way the only foreign forces, who ever succeeded in Ireland for a longer period of time. read more…