County Clare

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
County Clare
Contae to Chláir
map
Vereinigtes Königreich Donegal Leitrim Sligo Mayo Galway Galway Roscommons Cavan Longford Monaghan Louth Westmeath Fingal Meath Dublin South Dublin Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown Clare Limerick City and County Offaly Kildare Wicklow Tipperary Laois Carlow Wexford Waterford City and County Cork Kilkenny Tipperary Waterford City and County Limerick City and County Kerry CorkCounty Clare in Ireland
About this picture
Basic data
Country: Ireland
Administrative headquarters: Ennis
Province: Muenster
Irish name: To Clár
Surface: 3442 km²
Residents: 118,627 (2016)
License Plate: CE

Clare ( Irish : County Clare ) is a county ( county ) in the west of the province of Munster in the Republic of Ireland .

lili rere
Coat of arms and flag of County Clare
Motto: Dílis d'ár nOidhreacht , "Faithful to our heritage"

The name of the county is derived from the Irish word Clár (plank). In the 12th century there was a transition from planks over the river Fergus at the site of the present day Clarecastle . This river crossing was of relatively great importance at that time, so that the name for the whole area was derived from it. Clare is also known as Banner County . In the 18th and 19th centuries it was common practice to carry banners and flags at public rallies. This tradition was particularly strong in Clare and lasted longer there than in other parts of the country, so that the nickname became common at the beginning of the 20th century.

geography

The county lies between Galway Bay and the mouth of the River Shannon . The Shannon and Lough Derg also form the eastern border. In the northeast it borders on Galway County . The center of Clare is a lowland of carbonate limestone. In the east there are some low ridges with heights of 300 to 500 m (the highest point is the Glennagalliagh at 530 m). There are a number of peat bogs here, while the north-west is dominated by the unique karst landscape of the Burren .

history

Poulnabrone Dolmen, County Clare

Early human settlement in County Clare can be traced back to the Stone Age . Many places still show traces of ancient settlement, as reflected in particular in duns , basements , menhirs and wedge tombs .

In the 6th century, monks brought Christianity to what is now the county. They founded a number of monasteries. The two most important were Iniscathaig ( Scattery Island ) and Iniscealtra ( Holy Island in Lough Derg). Since the beginning of the 9th century, the monasteries suffered from Viking raids . Scattery Island was first sacked in 816. In 837 the Vikings sailed across the Shannon to Lough Derg.

The most important of the local families in Thomond, as Nordmunster was called at the time, were the O'Brians. Her most famous offspring was the only Irish High King Brian Boru , who was born in Killaloe . He inflicted decisive defeats on the Limerick and Dublin Vikings . At the beginning of the 12th century, Muirchertach Mor O'Brian gained control of large parts of Ireland. Under his significant influence, Killaloe was at the Synod of Rathbreasail in 1111 diocese within the boundaries of what was then the Kingdom of Thomond. It included about today's Counties Clare, Limerick , north of Tipperary and parts of Offaly . During the reign of Dónal Mór O'Brian (1168–1194), the Normans made their first attempts to conquer the Kingdom of Thomond. The inheritance disputes among Dónal's sons weakened the empire and by the beginning of the 13th century it was reduced to the size of Clare today. Despite repeated attacks by the Anglo-Normans, the area remained outside of English rule until 1565. That year the boundaries of what is now County Clare were set.

In the 1650s there was a large-scale settlement from other parts of Ireland and England to finally consolidate English rule. The first half of the 19th century was marked by an explosive increase in population. From 1800 to 1820 the population doubled to 208,000 inhabitants. A bad harvest resulted in a great famine in Clare in 1822. It led to a first wave of emigration. After the Great Famine in Ireland in the 1840s, which hit the county particularly hard, there was a steady flow of emigrants over the next several decades. About 100,000 people left the county between 1850 and 1880. By 1966, the population fell to 73,500, only to slowly increase since then.

economy

The dominant industries in County Clare are agriculture and tourism. Around 90% of the farms operate cattle or dairy farming. In recent years, however, the number of businesses has declined overall. The high proportion of forest areas is unusual. They take up 16% of the total area, twice as much as the national average. The forest areas are mainly concentrated in the east of the county. A large part is used for forestry.

In the last few decades, increased efforts have been made to attract industry. By far the most important project is the so-called Shannon Free Zone . It is located at Shannon International Airport . Lured by tax advantages, around 120 international companies have settled here and created around 7500 jobs. This means that two thirds of all industrial jobs in the county are concentrated here.

Tourism has developed into the most important branch of the economy in recent years. The largely untouched and varied landscape as well as numerous preserved archaeological sites attract many visitors. Between 1993 and 1999 the number of visitors increased by 52%. Most of the foreign visitors come from the UK and North America, but the number of local visitors has also increased significantly. By far the largest number of visitors are Bunratty Castle and Aillwee Cave .

politics

The distribution of seats in Clare County Council following the local election on May 23, 2014:

Political party Seats
Fianna Fáil 12
Fine Gael 8th
Sinn Féin 1
Non-party 7th

Clare sends four MEPs to the Irish Parliament (Dáil Éireann); In the last election in 2016, Fine Gael won 2 seats and Fianna Fáil and an independent candidate one each.

traffic

Doonagore Castle , in the background Doolin (right) and the easternmost of the Aran Islands (left)

Due to the relatively thin population, the transport infrastructure is poorly developed. The main transportation hub is the county's largest city, Ennis . All major national roads converge here: the N18 from Galway to Limerick , the N85 to Ennistymon and the N68 to Kilrush. The N67 runs mostly along the coast and connects the holiday resorts there. There is a ferry service from Killimer across the Shannon to Tarbert in County Kerry . It saves the approximately 140 km detour via Limerick.

To the south of Clare, equidistant from Ennis and Limerick (15 miles), is Shannon International Airport , today Ireland's second most important airport after Dublin. It used to be an important starting point or stopover for transatlantic flights. Although it has lost its importance, it still offers many international connections, especially to North America.

The only remaining rail link runs from Athenry via Ennis to Limerick. The Athenry - Ennis section was reopened on March 30, 2010 after more than 34 years. Intercity buses from Bus Éireann run between the larger towns. From Doolin Quay on the west coast there is a boat connection to the Aran Islands in Galway Bay.

towns and places

Kilkee , County Clare

Attractions

The approximately 200 m high Cliffs of Moher
Green rolling hills in County Clare
Castle of Dysert O'Dea

Personalities

Web links

Commons : County Clare  - Collection of pictures, videos, and audio files

Coordinates: 52 ° 51 ′  N , 9 ° 1 ′  W