A classic courthouse with a trophy from the Crimean war

Ennis takes its name from the Irish word ‘inis’ meaning ‘island’ in Irish. This is due to its location between 2 streams that run into The River Fergus. Most of its history is intimately linked to the O’Brien clan, direct descendants of Brian Boru. This classically designed courthouse was built in 1850 to the designs of the famous architects Joseph B Keane and Henry Whitestone and is classified as a listed building. The first attempt to hold a court in County Clare was recorded to have been held in the Franciscan Abbey located in the center of the town in 1570. In 1917 Eamon De Valera was selected to contest the East Clare by-election and so began his long association with the town and county before rising to become Ireland’s Taoiseach. There is now a statue of him in the car park in front of the courthouse. Beside the statue is a large Russian cannon which is a trophy of the Crimean war.