Clare County Council

What Clare County Council does

Clare County Council is the statutory local government authority for County Clare, Ireland, established in 1898 under the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898. It delivers a comprehensive portfolio of mandated public services including social housing provision and allocation, planning and building control, road infrastructure maintenance, environmental and waste management, fire and emergency services, public libraries (16 branches), arts and culture programming, tourism development, rural and community development, and heritage preservation across approximately 3,400 square kilometers serving County Clare's residents, businesses, and visitors.

The council operates an integrated digital service delivery platform anchored at clarecoco.ie, enabling online transactions (motor tax, commercial rates, housing rent, dog licences, traffic fines, wastewater charges), planning application searches via ArcGIS-powered mapping, facility bookings through Book a Pitch, public lighting fault reporting via Electric Skyline, and a dedicated Have Your Say public consultation platform (yoursay.clarecoco.ie). Services are also delivered physically through four municipal district offices (Ennis, Shannon, Killaloe, West Clare), specialized service counters, and the 16-branch library network. The technology stack is conventional web-based government service infrastructure with no disclosed AI/ML components.

As a government_state_entity, the council is publicly funded and does not operate a commercial revenue model. Its funding base comprises commercial rates collected from businesses, central government grants (notably from the Department of Rural and Community Development), and service charges for specific items (e.g., dog licences, trade plates at €353 per set, planning fees, fire safety certificates). The council is governed by elected councillors under the oversight of the Department of Housing, Local Government, and Heritage, and works in formal partnership with national agencies including Uisce Éireann, An Bord Pleanála, Tailte Éireann, the OPW, and regional bodies such as the Atlantic Economic Corridor and the Burren and Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geopark.

Name

Clare County Council

Legal name

Clare County Council

Website

https://clarecoco.ie

Company type

Public

Founded year

1898

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Clare County Council is the statutory local government authority serving County Clare, Ireland, delivering mandated public services — housing, planning, roads, libraries, emergency response, environment, and community development — to residents, businesses, and visitors across four municipal districts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Government Services

NAICS

Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (9251), Civic and Social Organizations (81341), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Business Services, Nec (7389), Services-Services, Nec (8900)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Public Health & Human Services Administration (BPAIACAK)

Keywords

• Local government services
• Public administration
• Municipal services
• Statutory public services
• Citizen services

Headquarters

HQ city

Ennis, County Clare

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Clare County Council is the statutory local government authority for County Clare, Ireland, providing public services across 18 major service areas including housing, planning and building control, roads and transportation, environment/water/waste, public libraries, climate action, emergency services, arts and culture, tourism development, rural and community development, business licensing, heritage and biodiversity, integration support, and sports/recreation. It operates through four Municipal Districts (Ennis, Shannon, Killaloe, West Clare) and delivers services via online portals, customer service counters, and 16 branch libraries.

Product overview

Clare County Council operates a unified citizen services platform providing comprehensive local government services to County Clare residents. The offering is structured as an integrated service delivery model rather than separate products, combining online transaction capabilities (payments, applications), informational resources, and direct service provision across 18 major service areas including housing, planning, roads, environment, libraries, arts, tourism, and community development. The digital platform enables online payments (motor tax, rates, housing), service applications, planning searches, facility bookings, and community consultation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online Services Portal

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Atlantic Economic Corridor (AEC)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Nine Irish counties along the Western seaboard have joined forces through the Atlantic Economic Corridor initiative to drive economic development, attract investment, and promote the region as a great place to live and work. The AEC Taskforce was established in March 2017 with Clare County Council participating as a member county, supported by a dedicated AEC officer appointed to develop and promote the initiative.
• Uisce Éireann (Irish Water)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerService Level Agreement between Irish Water and Clare County Council for provision of water and wastewater services under the Water Services (No. 2) Act 2013. The agreement facilitates local provision of water and wastewater services in partnership with Irish Water, with Clare County Council maintaining operational involvement.
• BurrenbeocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBurrenbeo is a landscape charity dedicated to connecting people with the Burren landscape. The organization supports farmers in the Burren who preserve the landscape and contribute to conservation of archaeological monuments and their settings in County Clare.
• An Bord PleanálacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational independent statutory body for determining planning appeals. Clare County Council works with An Bord Pleanála for planning appeal decisions on applications within County Clare.
• Tailte ÉireanncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational mapping, boundary, and valuation authority. Clare County Council engages with Tailte Éireann for valuation services and property boundary matters.
• Clare Public Participation Network (PPN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerService Level Agreement and Memorandum of Understanding between Clare County Council and Clare Public Participation Network setting out operational relationships for public participation in local government decision-making.
• The Burren and Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global GeoparkflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNESCO Global Geopark designation supporting conservation of the unique Burren landscape and geological heritage. Clare County Council supports farmers and communities within the Geopark who preserve archaeological monuments and natural heritage.
• National Parks and Wildlife Service (OPW)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner37 monument sites in County Clare are managed by the National Monuments Service under the OPW. These represent approximately 5% of national monuments in state care.
• Glor (Clare Arts Centre)coreOthersGlor is the official arts centre for County Clare, operated independently but partnered with Clare County Council for arts and cultural development across the county.
• Cliffs of MoherflagshipOthersOne of Ireland's most visited tourist attractions, the Cliffs of Moher operate as a separate entity with links to Clare County Council for regional tourism development.
• Clare MuseumcoreOthersCounty museum operated in partnership with Clare County Council for preservation and exhibition of County Clare's heritage and history.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tipperary County Council: Inland rural county council of comparable size and budget scale, operating the same statutory service lines (housing, roads, planning, libraries, environment) under identical national legislation and funding mechanisms.
• Cork County Council: Ireland's largest county council by area and population, providing the same comprehensive statutory local government services (housing, planning, roads, libraries, environment) under the same Local Government Act framework. Directly comparable on mandate, funding model, and service-portfolio breadth.
• Limerick City and County Council: Merged city-and-county authority neighbouring Clare, providing the same statutory services plus a major urban centre (Limerick City). Comparable on service breadth, planning authority role, and Shannon-related regional development interests.
• Galway County Council: Neighbouring western seaboard county council and fellow Atlantic Economic Corridor member; comparable on rural geography, Gaeltacht areas, tourism assets (Connemara), and AEC regional development mandate. Directly overlapping service portfolio and partnership ecosystem.
• Wexford County Council: South-east county council of broadly similar population scale and rural-urban mix, operating the same statutory services and municipal district structure. Comparable on housing, roads, planning, library, and community development portfolio.
• Kerry County Council: Western county council of similar scale and rural character, with comparable tourism intensity (Ring of Kerry, Dingle), heritage assets, and AEC membership. Operates the same statutory housing, planning, roads, and library service lines under Irish local government legislation.
• Donegal County Council: Largest county in Ireland by area with a predominantly rural, dispersed population; comparable on geographic dispersion, road network scale, library branch count, Gaeltacht considerations, and AEC membership.
• Waterford City and County Council: Merged city-and-county authority on Ireland's south coast, operating identical statutory local government functions with similar population scale to Clare. Comparable on urban-rural service mix, planning authority role, and library network structure.
• Mayo County Council: Western county council of broadly comparable population and rural geography, fellow AEC partner, and operator of similar statutory services including extensive road network, library branches, and municipal district structure.

Others

• Local Government Management Agency (LGMA): National shared-service centre for the Irish local government sector, providing HR, training, procurement, and shared digital services to all 31 county and city councils including Clare. Indirect peer as the central enabling body for the same operational ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ClareCoCo?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCef9Ce5ZpOfTwqtazadiXBw
• Facebookfacebook.com/clarecountycouncil/?locale=en_GB
• Instagraminstagram.com/clarecountycouncil/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/clarecountycouncil

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Clare County Council