Clare

The terrain of County Clare in the southwestern Irish province of Munster consists of peat bogs, hills, and limestone plateaus. Measuring some 1231 square miles in area, more than two-thirds of the land is pasture and cropland. Settled since prehistoric times, it was part of the region of North Munster and ruled by the O'Brien clan until the 16th century. It was made a shire during the reign of the English queen Elizabeth I. The raising of cattle and sheep and the production of potatoes and oats are still major economic activities, although the county underwent great industrialization in the 1960s and 1970s. It is noted for prehistoric ruins, Bronze Age megaliths, and medieval buildings, notably Bunratty Castle. The election in 1828 of Daniel O'Connell as member of the British Parliament for Clare led to the granting of freedom of religion and other civil rights to Catholics in Ireland. The 2003 estimated population was 105,000.