May Kearneys

Cliffs of Moher

by mvtouring

A must visit if you are in this area is the Cliffs of Moher which are about 30 miles northwest of Ennis. Quite easy to get there, from downtown you can take Cusack road to N85 then R478 to the cliffs.

River Fergus

by mvtouring

The River Fergus flows through Ennis, and our hostel was right next to the river. From our balcony we could watch the water run underneath, wondering where it was running through en-route to its end destination.

Ennis

by mvtouring

I cannot quite remember how it came that we decided to stay in Ennis, but what I do know is that it is one great little place to stay if you are exploring the Buren area or visiting the Cliffs of Mohar. With its narrow streets and quaint shops in every nook (we're not sure what a cranny is so we're avoiding mentioning them), I found Ennis to be one of the most endearing towns in Ireland.

It was strategically built where the River Fergus forked and came together forming an island. In fact, Ennis takes its name from Inis, the Irish word for island.

Ennis, Bustling Town, Historical Treasure Trove

by WhispersWest

"Ennis, One of Ireland's Hidden Treasures"

Ennis, in Co. Clare, seems to be overlooked by tourists coming to the West of Ireland. Not that I am complaining, as it is a bustling community too large to be called a village, more industrial than most towns and yet, too small to be dubbed as a city.

It is the uniqueness of its design, narrow, meandering streets, Ruins and Architecturally unique Church Buildings and its ever present history, which makes Ennis such a delight to explore, whether as a family, couple or group.

We have stayed in Ennis in three day snips. One day, I want to take a week there to savor all she has to offer. The time we spent there seemed to just slip by too quickly.

The people we met were engaging, friendly and quite willing to provide us with an insiders view of Ennis

"Never Assume"

Our first visit to Ennis in July of 2006 found us in the Poet's Corner, a bar frequented by locals and visitors in equal numbers, located in the Old Grounds Hotel. On its walls are Paintings of some of the Great Poets and Authors throughout the earlier centuries. You would think that each would have a placard identiying the person's name and life dates.

However, that is not the case. Being writers and performers of Poetry, we were trying to ascertain who was depicted in each portrait, debating loudly as to what we believed was the most logical choice. Seeking to end the debate, one of my partners decided to ask a local what the name was of one of the authors. He tapped a young man on the shoulder, red hair and freckles meant he was a local most assuredly, and asked him if he knew the name of the fellow in the portrait. Without the ghost of a smile or hesitation, the young man replied, "Why that is my Great Uncle, Fred." and went back to his pint. Noting the befuddled look on my partner's face, he grinned and said, "I'm from Pennsylvania and really have no clue!".

Never, ever assume!

Oh, Green, green Ireland

by marcelatimmins

"Please, rent a car!"

Moving around Ireland's countryside can be a bit tricky if you do not have a car, we depended in our family's car and did not went all that well. I hope we had more freedom to move around that gorgeous country.