CNN.
In Ennis, Ireland, residents young and old have become Web-savvy

ENNIS, Ireland (CNN) -- County Clare in the west of Ireland is more than 6,000 miles from Silicon Valley, but it shares a deep-rooted enthusiasm for technology.

The bustling market town of Ennis is home to 18,000 people -- and has been synonymous with computers and the Internet for the last four years, ever since it won $21 million in a competition by eircom, Ireland's chief telecom provider.

The cash was invested in technology with the dream of computers in every home. Residents were provided with free computers and free training, schools were equipped, and Internet access was made available.

"Irish people love competitions, they love rivalry and they also love money, so it meant that it was really a recipe for success," says Michael Byrne, CEO of eircom's Ennis Information Age Town project.

"So when 50 towns across the country scrambled to win this £15 million, all the effort was to win. But once we had won, Ennis wasn't really too sure what it should do with the money. So it took a bit of time then to figure out where should the investment go, what should we actually do with this."

Beneath its picturesque streets, Ennis is wired. In the first two years, some $14 million was spent on constructing a digital fibre ring for broadband access. Then the focus turned to the community.

More than 80 percent of homes took up the offer of a free multimedia PC and discounted Internet connection, compared with 18 percent in the rest of Ireland. One of those families is the Bradleys.

"Elana is 4 and she is already learning how to use a computer, not so much through directed lessons, just by messing around," says her father, Jim Bradley. "It's fantastic what they've done."

Adds Geraldine Bradley, "Even in keeping contact with their friends they've started sending e-mails to one another. And we have a lot of extended family, so we send a lot of e-mails. Photos are now being sent through the computer."

In Ennis, there is at least one computer for every nine schoolchildren -- four times the national average. The interactive lessons have had the added benefit of developing confidence and communication skills. You'll find few shrinking violets in the classroom, even when it comes to calculating fractions in front of their peers.

"The children use computers in a collaborative approach. It definitely enhances their social skills. There is a lot more project work associated when working with the computers than there would be in other subjects," says Hugh Connolly of the Holy Family School.

The Web also has helped draw the generations closer together. One senior citizens group is designing its own Web site with help from a group of teen-age students.

"I had retired some years earlier and I had a lot of time on my hands, so it gave me something to do. It enabled me to acquire a skill which I hadn't previously, and having acquired it I was able to surf the Net," says Peter Linehan of the Sunset Group. "I have a daughter in London and I e-mail her a couple of times a week. I would e-mail her to ask her what is the weather like in London, things like that."

Ennis may be the "Information Age Town," but tradition is still very important. Pubs are still the heart of the community, and if you're looking for changes you won't find it in the fabric of the town. The transformation has been more subtle, giving residents a new confidence, knowledge and enthusiasm.

Russian College Spawns Computer Champs
Despite a lack of modern computers, students triumph at World Computer Programming Olympics

Russia's Internet Whiz Kid Tackles the News
With a staff of 24, Anton Nosik brings 24-hour breaking news to Russia's Web users

Telecom prize transforms Irish town
Beneath its picturesque streets, Ennis is now wired with a $14 million digital fibre ring

Phones keep Sweden's teens mobile
With 80 percent of teen-agers in Scandinavia now having a phone, is the next generation redefining communication?

Bridging the Gap
Is technology relevant? Ask a wheelchair-bound ham operator, poor Indian farmers and an expat son worried about his ill dad

We're All Cyberlab Rats
Anthropologists have deserted the bush to study modern techno-man and how he's adapting to a world of wild gadgets

Wired, But a Bit Worried
Will interactivity improve our lives? TIME's readers praise easy communication and openness but think we should slow down

Raising Flags on the High-Tech Highway
Marso's invisible "killer" is not a person, but a satellite that seeks and destroys mobile phone users with a zap from outer space

Europe Tests Waters of e-Politics
"Britain is not ready for a Net election," says Mo Mowlam, a plain-speaking British politician

E-innovation, Estonian-style
Some countries have an e-minister. Cutting-edge Estonia has an e-Cabinet

Firms Take IT to the Poor
People live on little more than a dollar a day in Ghana, west Africa, putting them squarely on the have-not side of a growing digital divide

Helping People to Help Themselves
CNN's Charles Hodson recently interviewed Carly Fiorina, CEO of Hewlett-Packard, on the digital divide