ennis

EXPLORING A SMALL SECTION OF ENNIS ROAD – IT’S A LONG WAY TO ENNIS

I had two reasons for visiting Ennis Road. The first was to photography Our Lady Of The Rosary which is a unique freestanding single-cell timber clad Roman Catholic church, built in 1951, facing east with belfry to northeast. The second reason was to photograph Ardhu Lodge only to discover that it no longer exists. I walked from the city centre to The Gaelic Grounds known, for sponsorship reasons as the TUS Gaelic Grounds, which I did not photograph as my spare battery was not charged [I picked up the wrong one] and the two in the camera grip were exhausted as was I.

I had planned to visit Ennis but the train schedule did not suit me.

The name Ennis comes from the Irish word “Inis”, meaning “island”. This name relates to an island formed between two courses of the River Fergus on which the Franciscan Friary was built. The history of Ennis is closely associated with the O’Brien dynasty, who were descendants of Brian Boru. In the 12th century, the O’Briens, who were Kings of Thomond, left their seat of power in Limerick and built a royal residence at Clonroad on what was then an island. In 1240, King Donnchadh O’Brien ordered the construction of an extensive church which he later donated to the Franciscans. In the centuries that followed there was great activity. The Friary was expanded and students came in great flocks to study at the theological college. The Friars, who were free to move about, met the spiritual needs of the local population. It was a religious centre until the Dissolution of the Monasteries.