These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
An Clár· Irish · main form · validated name
Clare· English · main form
Place & story
Between ocean and estuary
Clare lies between the Shannon estuary and the Atlantic, with inland lakes and river valleys linking its settlements. Lewis’s 1837 account places those waters at the centre of the county’s geography.[2]
Thomond is a larger historical idea
The 1837 account treats Clare as a central part of Thomond and records districts associated with O’Brien, MacNamara and other lordships.[2]
Folklore & tradition
Biddy Early in the voices of her neighbours
Lady Gregory’s Visions and Beliefs in the West of Ireland, published in 1920, preserves a substantial body of stories about Biddy Early near Feakle. Gregory visited the cottage where Early had lived and spoke with its later occupants. Her account carefully distinguishes that visit from the many reports she collected of supposed cures, supernatural knowledge and dealings with fairies. Those reports document belief and reputation; they do not demonstrate medical effectiveness or supernatural powers.[3]
One speaker identified as Maher of Slieve Echtge told Gregory of a sceptical visitor who left heated tongs in Early’s room. When she returned and burned herself on them, he decided that her reputed foresight was unreliable and went away without seeking a cure. Other speakers defended her kindness. The conflicting voices are part of the value of the collection: Clare’s tradition about Early was never a single unanimous account.[3]
Figures cover the whole county including its cities. CSO recommends this series for long-term comparison, although minor boundary changes have occurred.
View population figures
County Clare, including its cities — census population
placenames