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Ennis is the county
town of Clare and the
Cathedral town of the diocese
of Killaloe. The origins of
the town are usually traced to
the foundation of the
Franciscan Friary c.1250; A
Medieval town grew up and the
present narrow streets and
alleys of the town centre
still reflect the medieval
town plan. Ennis is best
explored on foot. In the
original square stands a
statue of Daniel O'Connell,
who, by being elected M.P. for
Clare in 1828 forced the
passing of the Catholic
Emancipation Act of 1829 and
the removal of most of the
remaining disabilities under
which Catholics had suffered
since the Penal Laws.
Ennis has an excellent
Library and has won several
European prizes and was one of
the first town libraries in
Ireland. The River Fergus runs
through the middle of Ennis,
and is a well-known trout and
salmon fishery. At one time
small sailing boats made their
way up-river from the Shannon
and berthed in the centre of
the town at Woodquay.
In 1998 it was designated
as Ireland's first
'Information Age Town'. This
meant it was chosen to pioneer
the introduction and
popularisation of Information
Technology and a large
proportion of the town's
inhabitants were supplied with
a computer.
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