Discover Ennis

Ennis offers several specific points to help you choose it as a destination: its medieval town centre, self-guided heritage trails, and an arts centre with a wide-ranging programme. There is also the Ennis Trad Festival in November. If you are looking for a hotel in Ennis, you can match these themes to the focus of your planned stay; for walking tours, the format and timing also matter.

Explore the town’s history on foot

The public Ennis Essential History Tour takes visitors through the medieval town centre of Ennis. Tours and storytelling bring its history to life. During the peak season, the tour runs at set times. If this walk is important to your stay, check the current times in advance.

Ennis Walking Tours has been offering tours of the medieval town of Ennis since 2005. Another way to explore is the Wonder-Wander-Walking-Trails: these self-guided heritage trails lead through Ennis. This means that tours with storytelling and visits are complemented by trails you can explore independently. Check in advance whether the trails are available to download.

Art and traditional music

glór is an arts centre in Ennis. Its programme includes theatre, music, dance, visual arts, film and workshops. This gives a range of art forms a place in the town’s cultural offering. Individual events may change; if you are interested in a particular art form or specific date, check the current programme in advance.

The Ennis Trad Festival brings together Irish traditional musicians, singers and dancers for five days in November. November is therefore a useful time of year to bear in mind for travellers interested in traditional Irish music.

Getting there and finding your way

Ennis is just off the M18 and is connected to the national rail network. County Clare can be reached by road, bus and rail. For your planning, you can treat travel to County Clare and the rail connection from Ennis as separate points of reference.

More destinations in the wider destination of County Clare

The wider destination of County Clare also includes landscape and heritage destinations beyond the local attractions of Ennis. At O’Brien’s Tower, the Cliffs of Moher rise to more than 700 feet and stretch for almost 14 kilometres along the Clare coastline. The visitor site includes 800 metres of paved paths and viewpoints, including access to O’Brien’s Tower. The Cliffs of Moher Experience also includes a fully accessible visitor centre, a self-guided exhibition and a virtual reality experience at a cliff face. Check current operating details before visiting.

Visitors can explore walking trails in Burren National Park; if you are planning a specific visit, check the current trail conditions. Fanore Beach is used by surfers, swimmers and walkers, and lifeguard cover is seasonal. Inis Cealtra, also known as Holy Island, lies in Lough Derg on the Shannon. Its history as a monastic settlement dates back to the 7th century. These regional landscape, recreation and history highlights complement the reasons to spend time in Ennis.

Discover more destinations: Broadford, Scarriff, Quin, Fanore, An Dún Beag, Cross, Labasheeda, Spanish Point

Return to the wider travel guide: County Clare.