County Clare

County Clare (Contae an Chláir in ) is in the of. It is located on the west coast of, northwest of the and bordering. Area: 3,147 km² (1,215 square miles). Its capital is the of. While part of is in south east Clare.

County Clare succeeded the district of (which was part of ), and when first created it was sometimes called County Thomond. Its nickname is the Banner County, which may refer to a former local tradition of carrying at political meetings and public occasions.

County Clare contains, a unique region, which contains rare flowers and fauna. At the western edge of, facing the , are the. The county's Southern border is the River Shannon, the longest river in Ireland. Along this estuary is the town of Shannon and the location of. This airport was the first airport to have a duty-free zone.

County Clare has a strong history of Traditional music. It is home of the, , , , , , , the famous Lourda Kerin and legendary tin-whistlist. Ennis in County Clare is also the birthplace of Grammy-nominated songtress Maura O'Connell whose grandmother started a fish market in the Town. The county has many traditional music festivals and one of the most well known is the, which is held every July in the town of in memory of the renowned  piper, Willie Clancy. On the more contemporary music scene you have who are from Ennistymon.

, a 19th Century ist, wrote his most famous song  lambasting the inefficient network in the country at that time – and particularly, the. French recounts his journey by rail between the Clare towns of and. Unfortunately, bad as the rail network was in French's day, most of the system was closed starting in the 1940s. It was dug up and dismantled by successive over several decades in the,  and  as it was deemed uneconomic.

The  team has one of the best records of success in the country in recent years with many cups such as the  having been won. There is a strong (GAA) presence in County Clare with the founder of the GAA,, having been born in which is situated in the heart of the  in North Clare.

Famous people born in County Clare include writer, scholar and historian , , founder of the , and inventor of the submarine. Former president of Ireland is from Miltown Malbay.

Many Clare surnames are derived from the powerful which ruled over the area. Common surnames are, , , ,, , , , , and. In addition many unusual surnames such as, , , , , , , , , , and can be found due to the isolated nature of the county. Clare county was also featured in the sketch.

County Clare is known for beautiful natural scenery.

Main towns