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The town, close to Shannon Airport in County Clare, won IR?15m from the Republic's phone company Eircom in a competition to become the most switched-on town in the country.

With 5,600 households, Ennis is about a quarter of the size of Blackley parliamentary constituency covered by northmanchester.net and is a bustling market town.

Under the initiative the town became the first in the world to be blanketed with an integrated information technology infrastructure and training.

Every household was offered a top-of-the-range computer with free internet access which was taken up by 82 per cent of the population and 600 people who had never owned a phone were connected for the first time.

Before receiving their computer, every household was given a basic training course completed by 2,400 people and since then a further 300 have gone on to study for advanced qualifications.

A new company, Ennis Information Age Town, was set up to manage the project and a website was set up - along lines similar to northmanchester.net - to provide an online community focus.

Triona McInerney, assistant chief executive officer of Ennis Information Age Town, explained how the initiative had transformed the lives of the whole community.

She said: "Before we started some people were concerned computer technology would destroy the traditional community that's so strong here and that people would isolate themselves.

"That hasn't happened. People still chat in the shops, go to the pub, go to church, clubs and social groups but the internet has added another dimension to their social life.

"Grandparents who would regularly write to relatives abroad in the past and receive the odd letter or postcard back are now chatting to children and grandchildren regularly by email.

"They can even send pictures and hear their grandchildren singing to them even though they're on the other side of the world."

Triona admits not everyone has been convinced overnight but believes every age group is gradually discovering the benefits of information technology.

She said: "People are sharing ideas and reaching people they wouldn't otherwise meet from the other side of town but this has taken time.

"My own mother didn't touch the computer for the first year, then I went home one day and she told me she was just popping out to her computer class which was great.

"Housewives chat in the butchers about the emails they've received and what they've learnt."

In addition to the household involvement, more than 500 computers have been installed in schools which now produce their own electronic newspaper.

The initiative is now being rolled out to involve commerce and industry.

Triona said: "Ennis used to be the sort of place young people left once they had the chance. Now many of those people are coming back because Ennis has a great future."