US coffee chain Starbucks has opened its first Irish drive-thru outlet in Co Clare.

The 204sq metre unit at the Shannon Free Zone will employ 15 people.

The company operates over 20,000 outlets globally, but this is the very first drive-thru here.

Starbucks opened its first Irish store back in 2005.

The new outlet includes outdoor as well as indoor seating, and a coffee dock/meeting hub that will service the entire industrial estate.

The Shannon Free Zone is a 600 acre business park adjacent to Shannon Airport.

It currently houses 160 companies, employing almost 8,000 people.

Ray O'Driscoll, managing director of Shannon Commercial Properties, said: "We are currently working on the biggest investment programme of the millennium years in the Shannon Free Zone.

"We're developing world-class property solutions and providing facilities for amenities such as Starbucks is a key part of our redevelopment strategy."

The unit, which was built by Moloney Contracts from Tralee in Co Kerry, employed 40 people during construction.