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CLARE , a See also:county in the See also:province of See also:Munster, See also:Ireland, bounded N. by See also:Galway See also:Bay and Co. Galway, E. by Lough See also:Derg, the See also:river See also:Shannon, and counties See also:Tipperary and See also:Limerick, S. by the See also:estuary of the Shannon, and W. by the See also:Atlantic Ocean. The See also:area is 852,389 acres, or nearly 1332 sq. m. Although the See also:surface of the county is hilly, and in some parts even mountainous, it nowhere rises to a See also:great See also:elevation. Much of the western baronies of Moyarta and Ibrickan is composed of See also:bog See also:land. Bogs are frequent also in the mountainous districts elsewhere, except in the See also:limestone See also:barony of Burren, the inhabitants of some parts of which See also:supply themselves with See also:turf from the opposite shores of See also:Connemara. Generally speaking, the eastern parts of the county are mountainous, with tracts of See also:rich pasture-land interspersed; the See also:west abounds with bog; and the See also:north is rocky and best adapted for grazing See also:sheep. In the See also:southern See also:part, along the See also:banks of the Fergus and Shannon, are the bands of rich See also:low grounds called corcasses, of various breadth, indenting the land in a great variety of shapes. They are composed of deep rich See also:loam, and are distinguished as the See also:black corcasses, adapted for tillage, and the See also:blue, used more advantageously as meadow land. The See also:coast is in See also:general rocky, and occasionally bold and precipitous in the extreme, as may be observed at the picturesque cliffs of Moher within a few See also:miles of Ennistimon and Lisdoonvarna,.which rise perpendicularly at O'Brien's See also:Tower to an elevation of 580 ft. The coast of Clare is indented with several bays, the See also:chief of which are Ballyvaghan, Liscannor and Malbay; but from Black See also:Head to See also:Loop Head, that is, along the entire western boundary of the county formed by the Atlantic, there is no safe See also:harbour except Liscannor Bay. Malbay takes its name from its dangers to navigators, and the whole coast has been the See also:scene of many fatal disasters. The county possesses only one large river,the Fergus; but nearly 10o m. of its boundary-See also:line are washed by the river Shannon, which enters the Atlantic Ocean between this county and See also:Kerry. The numerous bays and creeks on both sides of this great river render its See also:navigation safe in every See also:wind; but the passage to and from Limerick is often tedious, and the See also:port of See also:Kilrush has from that cause gained in importance. The river Fergus is navigable from the Shannon to the See also:town of Clare, which is the terminating point of its natural navigation, and the port of all the central districts of the county. There are a great number of lakes and tarns in the county, of which the largest are Loughs Muckanagh, Graney, Atedaun and See also:Dromore; but they are more remarkable for beauty than for See also:size or utility, with the exception of the extensive and navigable Lough Derg, formed by the river Shannon between this county and Tipperary. The See also:salmon See also:fishery of the Shannon, both as a See also:sport and as an See also:industry, is famous; the Fergus also holds salmon, and there is much See also:good See also:trout-fishing in the lakes for which See also:Ennis is a centre, and in the streams of the Atlantic See also:sea-See also:board. Clare is a county which, like all the western counties of Ireland, repays visitors in See also:search of the pleasures of seaside resorts, sport, scenery or antiquarian See also:interest. Yet, again like other western counties, it was See also:long before it was rendered accessible. Communications, however, are now satisfactory. See also:Geology.—Upper Carboniferous strata See also:cover the county west of Ennis, the coast-sections in them being particularly See also:fine. Shales and sandstones alternate, now See also:horizontal, as in the Cliffs of Moher, now thrown into striking folds. The Carboniferous Limestone forms a barren terraced See also:country, often devoid of See also:soil, through the Burren in the north, and extends to the estuary of the Fergus and the Shannon. On the See also:east, the folding has brought up two bold masses of Old Red See also:Sandstone, with See also:Silurian cores. Slieve Bernagh, the more southerly of these, rises to 1746 ft. above See also:Killaloe, and the hilly country here traversed by the Shannon is in marked contrast with the upper course of the river through the great limestone See also:plain.
Minerals.—Although metals and minerals have been found in many places throughout the county, they do not often show themselves in sufficient abundance to induce the application of See also:capital for their extraction. The See also:principal metals are See also:lead, See also:iron and See also:manganese. The Milltown lead mine in the barony of Tulla is probably one of the See also:oldest mines in Ireland, and formerly, if the extent of the See also:ancient excavations may be taken as a See also:guide, there must have been a very rich See also:deposit. See also:Copper See also:pyrites occurs in several parts of Burren, but in small quantity. See also:Coal exists at Labasheeda on the right See also:bank of the Shannon, but the few and thin seams are not productive. The nodules of See also:clay-ironstone in the strata that overlie the limestone were See also:mined and smelted down to 1750. Within See also:half a mile of the Milltown lead mine are immense natural vaulted passages of limestone, through which the river Ardsullas winds a singular course. The See also:lower limestone of the eastern portion of the county has been found to contain several very large deposits of argentiferous See also:galena. Flags, easily quarried, are procured near Kilrush, and thinner flags near Ennistimon. Slates are quarried in several places, the best being those of Broadford and Killaloe, which are nearly equal to the finest procured ii 'See also:Wales. A See also:species of very fine black See also:marble is obtained near Ennis; it takes a high See also:polish, and is See also:free from the See also: The See also:mineral springs, which are found in many places, are chiefly chalybeate. That of Lisdoonvarna, a See also:sulphur See also:spa, about 8 m. from Ennistimon, has been celebrated since the 18th See also:century for its medicinal qualities, and now attracts a large number of visitors annually. It lies 9 m. by road N. of Ennistimon. There are chalybeate springs of less See also:note at Kilkishen, Burren, Broad-See also:foot, Lehinch, See also:Kilkee, Kilrush, Killadysart, and near Milltown Malbay. Springs called by the See also:people " See also:holy " or " blessed " See also:wells, generally mineral See also:waters, are See also:common; but the belief in their See also:power of performing See also:cures in inveterate maladies is nearly See also:extinct. Watering-places.—The Atlantic Ocean and the estuary of the Shannon afford many situations admirably adapted for summer bathing-places. Among the most frequented of these localities are Milltown Malbay; with one of the best beaches on the western coast; and the neighbouring See also:Spanish Point (named from the scene of the See also:wreck of two See also:ships of the See also:Armada) ; Lehinch, about 2 M. from Ennistimon on Liscannor Bay, and near the interesting cliffs of Moher, has a magnificent See also:beach. Kilkee is the most fashionable watering-See also:place on the western coast of Ireland; and Kilrush on the Shannon estuary is also favoured. See also:Industries.—The soil and surface of the county are in general better adapted for grazing than for tillage, and the acreage devoted to the former consequently exceeds three times that of the latter. See also:Agriculture is in a backward See also:state, and not a fifth of the See also:total area is under cultivation, while the acreage shows a decrease even in the principal crops of oats and potatoes. See also:Cattle, sheep, poultry and pigs, however, all receive considerable See also:attention. Owing to the mountainous nature of the county nearly one-seventh of the total area is quite barren. There are no extensive manufactures, although flannels and friezes are made for See also:home use, and See also:hosiery of various kinds, chiefly coarse and strong, is made around Ennistimon and other places. There are several fishing stations on the coast, and See also:cod, See also:haddock, See also:ling, See also:sole, turbot, See also:ray, See also:mackerel and other See also:fish abound, but the rugged nature of the coast and the tempestuous sea greatly hinder the operations of the fishermen. Near Pooldoody is the great Burren See also:oyster See also:bed called the Red Bank, where a large See also:establishment is maintained, from which a See also:constant supply of the excellent Red Bank oysters is furnished to the See also:Dublin and other large markets. Crabs and lobsters are caught on the shores of the Bay of Galway in every See also:creek from Black Head to Ardfry. In addition to the Shannon salmon fishery mentioned above, eels abound in every rivulet, and See also:form an important See also:article of See also:consumption. The Great Southern & Western railway line from Limerick to See also:Sligo intersects the centre of the county from north to See also:south. From Ennis on this line the West Clare railway runs to Ennistimon on the coast, where it turns south and follows the coast by Milltown Malbay to Kilkee and Kilrush. Killaloe in the east of the county is the See also:terminus of a See also:branch of the Great Southern & Western railway. See also:Population and See also:Administration.—The population (126,244 in 1891; 112,334 in 19o1; almost wholly See also:Roman See also:Catholic and rural) shows a decrease among the most serious of the Irish counties, and the See also:emigration returns are proportionately heavy. The principal towns, all of insignificant size, are Ennis (pop. 5093, the county town), Kilrush (4179), Kilkee (1661) and Killaloe (885); but several of the smaller settlements, as resorts, are of more than See also:local importance. The county, which is divided into 11 baronies, contains 79 parishes, and includes the Protest-See also:ant See also:diocese of Kilfenora, the greater part of Killaloe, and a very small portion of the diocese of Limerick. It is within the Roman Catholic dioceses of Killaloe and Limerick. The assizes are held at Ennis, and See also:quarter sessions here and at Ennistimon, Killaloe, Kilrush and Tulla. The county is divided into the East and West See also:parliamentary divisions, each returning one member.
See also:History.—This county, together with part of the neighbouring See also:district, was anciently called See also:Thomond, that is, North Munster, and formed part of the See also:monarchy of the celebrated See also:Brian Boroihme, who held his See also:court at Kincora near Killaloe, where his See also:palace was situated on the banks of the Shannon. The site is still distinguished by extensive earthen ramparts. Settlements were effected by the Danes, and in the 13th century by the Anglo-See also:Normans, but without permanently affecting the See also:possession of the district by its native proprietors. In 1543 Murrogh O'Brien, after dispossessing his See also:nephew and vainly attempting a See also:rebellion against the See also:English See also:rule, proceeded to See also:England and submitted to See also: There still exist above a See also:hundred fortified castles, several of which are inhabited. They are mostly of small extent, a large portion being fortified dwellings. The chief of them is Bunratty See also:Castle, built in 1277, once inhabited by the earls of Thomond, ro m. W. of Limerick, on the Shannon. Those of Ballykinvarga, Ballynalackan and Lemaneagh, all in the north-west, should also be mentioned. Raths or encampments are to be found in every part. They are generally circular, composed either of large stones without See also:mortar or of See also:earth thrown up and surrounded by one or more ditches. The See also:list of abbeys and other religious houses formerly flourishing here (some now only known by name, but many of them surviving in ruins) comprehends upwards of twenty. The most remarkable are—Quin, considered one of the finest and most perfect specimens of ancient monastic See also:architecture in Ireland; Corcomroe; Ennis, in which is a very fine window of uncommonly elegant workman-See also:ship; and those on Inniscattery or Scattery See also:Island, in the Shanr}on, said to have been founded by St Senan (see KILnusi). Kilfenora, 5 M. N.E. of Ennistimon, was until 1752 a separate diocese, and its small See also:cathedral is of interest, with several neighbouring crosses and a holy well. The ruined churches of Kilnaboy, Nouhaval and Teampul Cronan are the most noteworthy of many in the north-west. Five See also:round towers are to be found in various stages of preservation—at Scattery Island, Drumcliffe, Dysert O'Dea, Kilnaboy and Inniscaltra (Lough Derg). The cathedral of the diocese of Killaloe is at the town of that name. Cromlechs are found, chiefly in the rocky limestone district of Burren in the N.W., though there are some in other baronies. That at Ballygannor is formed of a See also: Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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