Kilrush (Irish: Cill Rois, meaning 'Church of the Woods') is a coastal town in County Clare, Ireland.

John, purchased lands in West Clare to the value of £9,826.0.6, from the fortune that had been acquired as one of the Commissioners for applotting quit rents in Ireland.

With wealth achieved from a financially beneficial marriage and some political manoeuvring, he decided to develop the town.

Paterson entered the oats trade in west Clare and in 1802 he was given a site on the square from Vandeleur and erected a six-storey building.

As Kilrush and the neighbouring countryside began to prosper, Hely Dutton reported in 1808 that the town was 'rising fast into some consequence'.

He also acknowledged Paterson's role as a 'very active and intelligent inhabitant, who has been of the utmost benefit to Kilrush, and the adjoining counties'.

Famine, evictions, fever and cholera reduced the population of south-west Clare to such an extent that it never again attained its pre-famine numbers.

[9] The old port of Kilrush is now home to a 120 berth marina with automatic lock gate access to the Shannon Estuary, Scattery Island and the wild Atlantic Ocean.

An impressive walled garden on the grounds of the old Vandeleur estate can still be visited today, though Kilrush House was gutted by fire in the late 19th century and finally demolished in the 1970s due to safety hazard.

This brought a large economic boost to the town and wider region, with Moneypoint establishing itself as one of the primary employers in West Clare.

However, due to a governmental climate change plan to cease burning coal in Moneypoint by 2025, electricity production has fallen massively, at times producing nothing.

[11] The retail scene of Kilrush has changed massively in recent times, being almost unrecognizable to 2 decades previous.

[14] Dolphin-watching tour boats depart daily from the Kilrush marina, and the Shannon Dolphin and Wildlife Foundation has an information centre nearby.

In 2015, Kilrush won an Entente Florale gold medal,[15] a European-wide horticultural and environmental competition.

[18] Tennis, football (soccer) and athletics are catered for at the Cooraclare Road complex (under age and junior clubs).

The ground, Captain Tubridy Memorial Park is traditionally called "The Cricket Field", since it was used for that sport during the 19th century.