Ennis

Province

Ennis ( Irish: Inis ) is the administrative center of County Clare in the Republic of Ireland. The city lies on the River Fergus, north-west of Limerick, and has 20,209 inhabitants ( 2011). The Irish name is an abbreviation of Inis Cluain RAMh Fhada - length flowing meadow island.

History

The origins of Ennis date back to 1240, when Donnchadh O'Brien, King of Thomond, began on an island in Fergus with the construction of a church. The church was soon left it to the Franciscans who. To a monastery, the, extensions Ennis Friary at a convent school In the 14th century lived and studied there already about 1000 monks and students. Around the monastery gradually developed during the Middle Ages a very significant settlement. Due to its central location and importance Ennis was in 1565 became the capital of the newly formed county of Clare. In 1610, the city finally was granted market rights. During the religious conflicts of the 17th century, the convent and the school have been resolved. At the beginning of the 19th century, companies in the textile industry, breweries and distilleries had settled in Ennis. But epidemics and the Great Famine of the 1840s affected the development of the city considerably. Between 1840 and 1860 the city lost about a quarter of its population.

The city's name is also associated with two prominent figures in Irish history. In 1828, Daniel O'Connell was elected to Ennis was the first Catholic in the British House of Commons. 1917 won Eamon de Valera in a by-election to the House an overwhelming election victory. He remained the town of Ennis faithful throughout his political career as an MP.

Economy

Ennis is, beside the Shannon Free Zone at Shannon Airport, the most important industrial center in County Clare. In the last two decades, several business parks have been created. Here, mainly companies in the electrical and pharmaceutical industries have settled. The, in 2005, the Information Age Park should especially attract companies that deal with communication and computer technology.

The economic development of the city's Information Age Town Project has contributed not last. In 1997, initiated by the national telecom company Eircom competition Ennis was selected among several other candidates for this purpose. In this project converted 19 million euros were invested in the communication infrastructure of the city from 1997 to 2002. Authorities, schools, companies, but also households were given support and training for the acquisition of new equipment, software and Internet access. Today 80 % of all households in the city have an internet connection.

Ennis was for centuries an important market town. To date, the cattle trade has received. The importance, however, has declined over the years. One reason for this was also thanks to the outbreak of foot- and -mouth disease in 2001. Restrictive measures came while there are only a few outbreaks of the disease in the County, but the market has yet suffered.

In 2005 Ennis won the nationwide Tidy Towns Competition of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Thus the city's efforts were recognized by the improvement of environmental protection and the preservation of its historic townscape.

The financial crisis in 2007 had an impact on the Irish economy, thus also negative economic developments for traders and companies in Ennis are recognizable.

Traffic

Due to its central location Ennis is the most important hub of County Clare. This is where all the important national highways and several regional roads together. The three national highways connect with Ennis and Galway City Limerick City ( N18 ), Ennistymon ( N85 ) and Kilrush ( N68 ). In spring 2007, the bypass ( Ennis Bypass) has been completed. Through them, the city is relieved considerably from through traffic.

The largest part of the national public transport and the marketing of the surrounding villages ensures Bus Éireann; the rail has lost to former times much more important. Today there is only one connection to Limerick City. There is connection to the rest of the railway network.

About 25 kilometers south of Ennis is the Shannon Airport. He is now the second most important Irish Airport to Dublin. Previously, he was an important stopover for transatlantic flights. Although he has lost in recent years important, he still has many international connections, especially to North America.

Policy

The Town Council of the city is elected for five years. The last election was held on July 5, 2009. The mayor of the city is determined annually from the ranks of the municipal council.

Culture

The town of Ennis has developed into a center of traditional Irish music. Was primarily driven by the May annual Fleadh Nua. It was moved in 1974 from Dublin to Ennis and has developed into one of the biggest festivals in the country. Addition takes place in November yet the Guinness Traditional Music Festival. In November 2001 was opened with the Glór a new convention center for local music. The 7 million -euro building can accommodate 550 spectators.

Twinning

Ennis maintains partnerships with the following cities:

• Saint -Paul -de- Fenouillet, France
• Phoenix, Arizona, United States
• Langenfeld, Germany

Freeman

• Muhammad Ali ( born 1942 ), an Honorary Freeman of Ennis (2009)