Daniel O'Connell Monument

Statue of the Liberator atop a tall column in O'Connell Square

A 12-metre fluted column topped by a statue of Daniel O'Connell stands in the centre of O'Connell Square, the focal point of the town. O'Connell — the Liberator — was elected MP for Clare in the by-election of 1828, an event that forced the Westminster government to grant Catholic Emancipation.

The statue was unveiled in 1865. From its base the four main streets of Ennis radiate outwards: Abbey Street to the friary, O'Connell Street to the cathedral, Parnell Street, and Bank Place. The square is pedestrianised and ringed with cafés, banks, and pubs.

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O'Connell stood as MP for Clare in 1828 in defiance of the law that barred Catholics from Parliament — and won by a wide margin. The crisis triggered Catholic Emancipation the following year. Ennis put the column up in 1865 as a reminder of where the victory began.