Ennistymon

Ennistymon
Inis Díomáin
Town
Ennistymon

Location in Ireland

Coordinates: 52°56′N 9°17′W / 52.94°N 9.29°W / 52.94; -9.29Coordinates: 52°56′N 9°17′W / 52.94°N 9.29°W / 52.94; -9.29
Country Ireland
Province Munster
County County Clare
Population (2011)
 • Urban 957
Time zone WET (UTC+0)
 • Summer (DST) IST (WEST) (UTC-1)
Irish Grid Reference R134877

Ennistymon or Ennistimon (Irish: Inis Díomáin) is a country market town in County Clare, near the west coast of Ireland. A popular tourist spot, it has a typical Irish main street, with many traditional pubs. The river Inagh, with its small rapids known as the Cascades, runs through the town, behind the main street. A bridge across the river leads to nearby Lahinch, on the N67 national secondary road. The town is connected to Ennis by the N85, the main street through the town.

Name

The town's official name is Ennistimon, although Ennistymon is the spelling most widely used.[1] Historically, it was spelled Inishdymon.[1] This is believed to derive from Inis Diomáin meaning "Diomán's island".[1] However, Míchéal Ó Raghallaigh argues that the name is derived from Inis Tí Méan meaning "island of the middle house" or "river meadow of the middle house".[2]

Geography

Ennistymon is located on the border of the upland area of County Clare known as the Burren. The Cullenagh river is called Inagh after the Ennistymon falls, at which point it becomes tidal.[3]:53-5

History

Ennistymon grew from just three cabins in 1775 to 120 houses in 1810 (70 of which were slated). The oldest part of town is the narrow street near the bridge. A convent, Mount St. Josephs, was established in 1824.[3]:54,56

Economy

There are many shops in Ennistymon including a large supermarket, bakery, several hairdressers, two butchers, a hardware shop, print shop, dry cleaners, launderette, builders suppliers, several cafes and one hotel along with numerous B&Bs. There are also numerous pubs, many of which host to traditional music.

Infrastructure

Transport

Bus

Two Bus Éireann routes, 333 and 350, serve the town. Route 350 links Ennistymon to Ennis, Lahinch, Cliffs of Moher, Doolin (where it is possible to connect with a ferry to the Aran Islands), Lisdoonvarna and Galway. There are a number of journeys each way daily. Onward rail and bus connections are available at Ennis and Galway. Route 333 links the town to Kilfenora, Corofin, Miltown Malbay and Doonbeg.

Rail

The West Clare Railway formerly passed through the town, connecting it to Ennis and the West Clare coastal towns and villages. Ennistymon railway station opened on 2 July 1887. The railway closed on 1 February 1961.[4]

Notable places

Ennistymon, The Falls

Memorial

The An Gorta Mór ("The Great Hunger") Memorial was erected a mile outside Ennistymon on the road to Lahinch to commemorate the memory of the victims of the Great Famine from 1845 to 1850. It was dedicated on 20 August 1995 – the 150th anniversary of the Famine. Located across from Palladian Ennistymon Hospital, itself built on the grounds of the local workhouse (Union of Kilmanaheen), it was erected by a combined effort of the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH), Board of Erin, Board of America and Clare County Council.

The monument was designed by an artist from Co Kerry and depicts an account found in the Minutes of the Meetings of the Boards of Guardians for Ennistymon Union held in the County Archives.[7] The account centered on a note that was pinned to the torn shirt of a barefoot orphan boy who was left at the workhouse door on the freezing cold morning of 25 February 1848. The note read:

Gentlemen,

There is a little boy named Michael Rice of Lahinch aged about 4 years. He is an orphan, his father having died last year and his mother has expired on last Wednesday night, who is now about to be buried without a coffin!! Unless ye make some provision for such. The child in question is now at the Workhouse Gate expecting to be admitted, if not it will starve. -- Rob S. Constable''

One side of the memorial depicts a child standing before the workhouse door, while across from that is the head of an anguished mother and two hands clenched in frustration or anger above the sorrowful text of the pleading note.

Education

A view of Ennistymon.

Ennistymon has two primary schools: Scoil Mhainchin/Ennistymon National School and Mol an Oige Steiner School.[8] Mol an Oige Steiner National School recently became the first Steiner method school in Ireland to be given permanent recognition as a national school by the Department of Education.[9]

Scoil Mhainchin is in an amalgamation of the CBS Primary School and The Convent of Mercy National School. There are also three secondary schools in the town: Ennistymon CBS, the Vocational School and Scoil Mhuire provide secondary education.[10][11][12] Plans are in place to amalgamate these three schools.[13]

Parish of Ennistymon

The Parish of Ennistymon has three churches; Ennistymon, Lahinch and Clouna. The church in Furglan was closed reducing the number of churches from four to three. The Church of Ireland at Ennistymon was built in 1831. The current Roman Catholic church in Ennistymon, Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Michael, was built in 1952-1954.[14][15]

Notable people

Born

Town twinning

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Placenames Database of Ireland
  2. ↑ Míchéal Ó Raghallaigh:Scríobhaí ó Inis Díomáin, "The Other Clare", vol. 16 (Shannon, 1992), p. 18.
  3. 1 2 3 Cunningham, George (1980). Burren Journey West. Shannonside Mid Western Regional Tourism Organisation. ISBN 0-9503080-2-1.
  4. ↑ "Ennistymon station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved 2007-10-13.
  5. ↑ "National Inventory of Architectural Heritage - Teach Ceoil Saint Andrews, Church Street, Ennistymon, County Clare". Department of Arts, Heritage & the Gaeltacht. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  6. ↑ "National Inventory of Architectural Heritage - Ennistymon, County Clare". Department of Arts, Heritage & the Gaeltacht. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  7. ↑
  8. ↑ Mol an Oige Steiner National School
  9. ↑ Ireland now has its first (official) Steiner National School
  10. ↑ Ennistymon CBS Home Page
  11. ↑ Ennistymon Vocational School Home Page
  12. ↑ Scoil Mhuire Ennistymon Home Page
  13. ↑ School Amalgamations, Seanad Éireann Debate (Vol. 217 No. 7) on Wednesday, 3 October 2012
  14. ↑ http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/places/etinterest.htm
  15. ↑ "National Inventory of Architectural Heritage - Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Michael, Ennistymon, County Clare". Department of Arts, Heritage & the Gaeltacht. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
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