It's
a Small World ...
East Anglia is the oldest settled region of England and many of
its towns can be dated back to pre-Roman times.
Not surprisingly many local town names can be found in other countries,
named when British settlers emigrated to new lands. But did you know
that there are at least four other Clares dotted around the globe all
with historical links to our own Clare in Suffolk.
There is Castleclare in Ireland, a town in County Clare. Clare in America,
not far from its neighbouring town of Haverhill and Clare in Nova Scotia.
Most interesting of all there is a thriving community in Clare, South
Australia about 70 miles north of Adelaide.
The Australian Clare dates from the 19th century when settlers from
County Clare discovered the region and set up a successful farming community.
Today Clare Australia is famous for its wine region which exports fine
wines all over the world.
When the original settlers colonised the fertile countryside of the
Australian outback they knew they had settled for life. Most would never
see their homeland again.Today all that has changed. Now nowhere is
more than a telephone call away and with the Internet the world has
become a very small place indeed. With the use of the Internet it is
now possible to see and talk directly to friends and family almost anywhere
in the world making it increasingly easier for towns like Clare to communicate
with their namesakes.