Zoology In Clare
The Burren district in Clare (Holiday Apartments, Clare, Ireland) is famous for the race of enormous Helix nemoralis that lives in the chinks of its limestone rocks. These resemble the German Pleistocene form H. tonnensis, Sandberger. Other interesting Munster species are: Hyalinia lucida (widespread, except in the west), Zonitoides excavatus (throughout the province, off the limestone), Helicella barbara (widespread, both on the coast and inland), Hygromia granulata (locally plentiful), Acanthinula lamellata (in every county), Cacilioidcs acicula (local), Pupa anglica (in every county), Vertigo Lilljeborgi (Lough Allua, W. Cork, very rare), V. pusilla (very local), Succinea oblonga (Kerry, Cork, Tipperary, Clare), Paludestrina confusa (estuaries of the Shannon, Suir and Barrow), Acicula lineata (widespread), Margaritana margaritifera (local).
The territorial divisions of Munster were very numerous, and among them were the Dall gCais (pronounced Daul Gash) in Tuadh-Mumha, corresponding to the modern county of Clare. This was the sect to which the king Brian Boroimhe belonged. They were a Munster people who conquered and occupied this district. Until that event it had been reckoned to Connaught. The Viking conquerors were driven out of Clare by Brian Boru, who in turn reigned over the county. The Anglo-Normans were unable to successfully rule the area, and the later British did not become prominent before Murrough OBrien became the Earl of Thomond.Clare (Holiday Apartments, Clare, Ireland) was hit hard during the Great Famine, and much of its population left Ireland for a better life abroad. The name of County Clare is derived from the Gaelic word, An Clar, which means the plain. It is known as The Banner County, due to its renown for revolutionary activity during the struggle for equal rights for the indigenous Irish Catholic population.
Ennis Friary, Co. Clare (Bed and Breakfasts, Clare, Ireland), is worthy of mention, not so much on account of its architectural interest as for the remarkable monuments that it contains. The monastery was founded in the first half of the thirteenth century by Donnchadh Cairbrech O Briain, King of Thomond, for Friars Minor. It was enlarged by Toirrdhealbhach O Briain at the end of the thirteenth century, and was further enlarged in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The ruins of the church consist of a chancel and nave with a lofty tower at their junction. The most important of the monuments is the so-called Royal or MacMahon tomb, which is built against the north wall of the chancel near the east gable. It was at one time a mere heap of stones, but the sculptured slabs were rebuilt about 1843. The carved slabs have been described as being probably the finest and most spirited series of late fifteenth-century carvings of the Passion in our Irish monasteries. The subjects include, the Betrayal of our Lord, the Flagellation, the Crucifixion, the Entombment, and Resurrection. The ancient canopy of this tomb fell down in recent times, and a modern one, imitated from that of the Inchiquin tomb, was erected in its place. The second canopied tomb stands against the south wall of the chancel and is probably of late fifteenth century date. It covers the graves of King Toirrdheallbach; Cu Meadha Mac Conmara; and some of the Lords Inchiquin. It is decorated with some gracefully carved floral designs.
Co. Clare is rich in megalithic remains of various kinds. The majority of the dolmens stretch in a broad band from the Burren in a south-easterly direction to Slieve Bernagh. The monuments lie inland rather than on the coast. They are most abundant in the Burren, in the eastern portion of the county. The types vary, but the one most frequently met with is in the form of a stone box composed of four or more slabs with a cover. Mr. T. J. Westropp, who has described the megalithic monuments of Clare (Hotels, Clare, Ireland), computed the total number at 172, including 84 dolmens and large cists.The decorated High Crosses to be seen in this province number some twenty-one. They are distributed among the counties of Clare (Accommodation, Clare, Ireland), Kerry, and Tipperary. None are recorded from the counties of 
Land Area: 1,262 sq. miles