CLARE, a county in the province of Munster, Ireland, bounded north by Galway Bay and Co. Galway, east by Lough Derg, the river Shannon, and counties Tipperary and Limerick, south by the estuary of the Shannon, and west by the Atlantic Ocean. The area is 852,389 acres. Pop. (1926) 95,028.
In the eastern mountains two masses of Old Red Sandstone with Silurian cores stand out, the more southerly of which, Slieve Bernagh, rises to a height of 1,746 ft. These masses are flanked by Carboniferous limestone which occupies the north and east of the county. The south-west is composed of Millstone Grit and Coal Measures which extend some distance into the interior. There are many lakes in the central lowlands and bogs are fre quent on the higher land. In the southern part, along the banks of the Fergus and Shannon, are bands of rich low grounds called corcasses, of various breadth, indenting the land in a great variety of shapes. They are composed of deep rich loam, and are dis tinguished as the black corcasses, adapted for tillage, and the blue, used more advantageously as meadow land. The coast is rocky, and occasionally bold precipitous cliffs rise to a considerable height. There are numerous bays around the coast but Liscannor Bay provides the only safe anchorage on the Atlantic side. The River Fergus flows into the estuary of the Shannon, the creeks and bays of which render navigation safe in all winds.
The county, especially on the higher areas of the east and north, is very rich in dolmens. There still exist above a hundred fortified castles, mostly small, several of which are inhabited. Raths or encampments are to be found in every part. They are generally circular, composed either of large stones without mortar or of earth thrown up and surrounded by one or more ditches. The abbeys and other religious houses number more than twenty. Five round towers are to be found in various stages of preserva tion at Scattery Island, Drumcliffe, Dysert O'Dea, Kilnaboy and Inniscaltra (Lough Derg). The cathedral of the diocese of Killa loe is at the town of that name.
The county, together with part of the neighbouring district, was anciently called Thomond, that is, North Munster. Settle ments were effected by the Danes, and in the 13th century by the Anglo-Normans, but without permanently affecting the possession of the district by its native proprietors. In 1543 Murrogh O'Brien submitted to Henry VIII., and received the title of earl of Tho mond, on condition of adopting English dress, manners and cus toms. In 1565 this part of Thomond was added to Connaught, and made one of the six new counties into which that province was divided by Sir Henry Sidney. It was named Clare, the name being _traceable either to Richard de Clare (Strongbow), earl of Pem broke, or to his younger brother, Thomas de Clare, who obtained a grant of Thomond from Edward I. in 1276. Towards the close of the reign of Elizabeth, Clare was detached from the govern ment of Connaught and given a separate administration ; but it was included with Connaught in Cromwell's schemes and suffered greatly as a result of his policy. At the Restoration it was united to Munster.
Metals and minerals have not been found in sufficient abundance to encourage commercial exploitation. The principal metals are lead, iron and manganese. The Milltown lead mine in the barony of Tulla is probably one of the oldest mines in Ireland and for merly there must have been a very rich deposit. Copper pyrites occurs in several parts of Burren in small quantity. Coal exists in Labasheeda on the right bank of the Shannon, but the few and thin seams are not productive. The nodules of clay-ironstone in the strata that overlie the limestone were mined and smelted down to 175o. Within half a mile of the Milltown lead mine are natural vaulted passages of limestone. The lower limestone of the eastern portion of the county has been found to contain several very large deposits of argentiferous galena. Flags, easily quarried, are pro cured near Kilrush, and thinner flags near Ennistimon. Slates are quarried in several places, the best being those of Broadford and Killaloe. Very fine black marble is obtained near Ennis; it takes a high polish, and is free from the white spots with which the black Kilkenny marble is marked.
The soil and surface of the county are in general better adapted for grazing than for tillage. Agriculture is in a backward state, and the acreage shows a decrease even in the principal crops of oats and potatoes. Cattle, sheep, poultry and pigs, however, all re ceive considerable 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 home use, and hosiery of various kinds, chiefly coarse and strong, is made around Ennistimon and other places. There are several fishing stations but the rugged nature of the coast and the rough sea greatly hinder fishermen. Near Pooldoody is the great Burren oyster bed called the Red Bank. Crabs and lobsters are caught in the Bay of Galway. In addition to the Shannon salmon fishery, eels abound in every rivulet, and form an important article of consumption.
The Great Southern railway line from Limerick to Sligo inter sects the centre of the county. From Ennis a branch runs to Ennistimon where it turns south and serves such watering-plates as Milltown Malbay, Kilkee and Kilrush. Killaloe is the terminus of a railway branch near the site of the Shannon Power Scheme (see Shannon). Clare has 5 members in Dail Eireann.