The first stop off of the airplane transfer bus will be Ennis. I decided to buy a plane ticket that would get me to Shannon early in the morning so that I would have time to explore Ennis before meeting up with my group. The bus ride from the airport seems to be only about 15 minutes, according to the bus schedule. I've never been to Ennis and know very, very little about it so I've looked up some information on it.
Ennis is situated in the mid-west of Ireland, in County Clare. It was founded in the thirteenth century by Donncadh Cairbreach O'Brien, King of Thomond. Later the family invited the Franciscans to build the Ennis Abby on the banks of the River Fergus. Ennis comes from the Gaelic word "Inis" meaning island and was thus named because it was built where the river forks and comes together again. I've also found sites that state Ennis as meaning other things, among them, "long rowing meadow island", according to Wikipedia.
Ennis contains many secondary schools, including Rice College, Ennis Community College, Colaiste Mhuire, St. Flannan's College, and Gaelocholaiste an Chlair.
Ennis was named by the Project for Public Spaces as one of the World's top 60 great places to visit. Each year, in late May, it hosts the hosts the Fleadh Nua, Ireland's second largest traditional music festival.
That's all I have for now folks- hopefully I'll have lots more facts once my feet are on the ground over there. Next up...the beauty and history of the Aaron Islands-
Slan!
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2 comments:
Cool Blog! I'm also a lurker on the Girls Ride Out yahoogroup in Austin. Tell us about your bike... Will you be taking it with you. What are the details on taking a bike overseas? I've thought about it, but have put that on my "later" list with all the passport hassles right now. I look forward to keeping up with your tour...
Karen
www.karenquiltslife.blogspot.com
Karen,
I'm so happy you stopped by! I'm not taking my own bike over there; my little girl will be staying here...well mostly. I'll be using a road bike from VBT however I am bringing my own saddle and pedals so that I can have my bike shoes. Check out VBT for different trips, I linked to them in one of the earlier posts. Also Eileen, the moderator and super-woman of Girls Ride Out has done a few bike trips like this. She actually went to Ireland the summer I first met her and has been great with giving me tips for my own trip.
Thanks again for stopping by and let me know what you think. I'm really enjoying doing this as I get ready for my trip!
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