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Ennistymon Plaques and
Memorials
Courthouse Plaque, Parliament Street, Ennistymon
"Ennistymon Courthouse c. 1790"
(Old Ennistymon Society 1999 - Preserving the Past for the Future)
By the end of the eighteenth century,
Ennistymon was establishing itself as an important centre for North Clare.
A Sessions House stood at the corner of Main Street and Parliament Street,
while a courthouse, barracks and bridewell were all established on Parliament
Street. The Courthouse is estimated to have been built around 1790 and
catered for many activities during its long lifetime. Apart from regular
court sessions, the Guardians of the Ennistymon Poor Law Union also met
here regularly, their first meeting being in 1839. A Fuel Fund Committee
met here in the 1870's, and the building was also, on occasion, a venue
for local entertainment. Due to its dilapidated condition, the District
Court sittings ceased in the early 1980's. Joe Connole had been Court
Clerk here for many years, and the well-known Gordon Hurley was the last
sitting judge. In the 1990's, the Old Ennistymon Society took charge of
the Courthouse, and the renovated building is now a working studio for
a number of locally based artists, trading under the name of Courthouse
Studios.
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