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==Economy==
==Economy==
Clifden is the main town in Connmemara; therefore it is home to a range of services. The HQ for the Connemara Garda service is in Clifden and the main Fire Station for Connemara is in Clifden.
Clifden is the main town in Connmemara; therefore it is home to a range of services. The HQ for the Connemara Garda service is in Clifden and the main Fire Station for Connemara is in Clifden.

Part of the services on offer is a public library.


==Sports==
==Sports==

Revision as of 15:57, 17 October 2012

Clifden
An Clochán
Town
View from John D'Arcy Monument on the Sky Road
View from John D'Arcy Monument on the Sky Road
LandIrland
ProvinceConnacht
CountyCounty Galway
Elevation
50 m (160 ft)
Population
 (2011)
 • Urban
2,609
 • Rural
7,106
Irish Grid ReferenceL655510

Clifden (Irish: An Clochán, meaning "bee-hive cell"[//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifden#endnote_

  • ]) is a town on the coast of County Galway, Ireland and being Connemara's largest town, it is often referred to as "the Capital of Connemara". It is located on the Owenglen River where it flows into Clifden Bay. The town is linked to Galway city by the N59 and is a popular tourist destination for those touring Connemara.

History

The town was founded at the start of the 19th century by John D'Arcy (1785–1839)[1] who lived in Clifden Castle (now a ruin) west of Clifden. He inherited the estate in 1804, when it was mostly inhabited by fishermen and farmers. The idea of establishing a town on the coast was first voiced by him in 1812. Bad communications and a lack of private capital prevented fast progress until the 1820s, when the potato crop failed in 1821-22 and D'Arcy petitioned the government in Dublin for assistance. The engineer Alexander Nimmo was sent to the area in 1822. A quay was constructed at Clifden, and the town began to grow.[2]

It prospered until, in 1839, John D'Arcy died. His son, Hyacinth, lacked his father's abilities and confrontations with his tenants became commonplace. The town's propsperity came to an end when the famine started in 1845. Large numbers of people died, as government help proved insufficient to deal with starvation, scurvy and other diseases. By 1848 90% of the population were on relief (receiving government money). Landlords went bankrupt as rents dried up. Many people emigrated to America. On November 18, 1850 Hyacinth D'Arcy put up his estates for sale and most of them were purchased by Charles and Thomas Eyre of Somerset. Hyacinth pursued a church career and became Rector of Omey and Clifden. Charles Eyre sold his share to his brother, who gave the estates to his nephew (Charles' son) John Joseph in 1864.[3]

Clifden is the birthplace of Jon Riley, Saint Patrick's Battalion's commander, who fought for Mexico in the Mexican-American War in the 19th century, and John Bamlet Smallman, Irish-Canadian businessman (1849–1916).

Clifden gained prominence after 1905 when Guglielmo Marconi decided to build his first high power transatlantic long wave wireless telegraphy station four miles (6 km) south of the town to minimize the distance to its sister station in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia. The first point-to-point fixed wireless service connecting Europe with North America opened for public service with the transmission of 10,000 words on 17 October 1907 and ceased operation on 25 July 1922 after suffering serious damage in the Irish Civil War. On July 25, 1922 Republican "Irregulars" set fire to the receiving building and fired shots - ostensibly because they considered the station "a British concern".[4] Another explanation offered later, was that the station had been used by the RIC in March 1921 to call in reinforcements after two of them had been murdered. This had resulted in a trainload of Black and Tans arriving in the town from Galway, who proceeded to "burn, plunder and murder".[4] On St Patrick's Day, March 17, 1921, around 30 Black and Tans had terrorised the town, killing one civilian, seriously injuring another, burning 14 houses and damaging several others.[5]

Transatlantic wireless service [6] formerly provided by the Clifden station was transferred to the more modern Marconi wireless station near Waunfawr, Wales. At peak times, over 400 people had been employed by the Clifden wireless station, among them Jack Phillips, who later died as chief Radio Operator on the Titanic. By one reckoning, the station's closure following the Republican attack caused an estimated 1,000 people to lose their livelihood.[4]

One June 19, 1919 the first transatlantic flight by Alcock and Brown crashlanded in Derrygimla bog, close to Marconi's transatlantic wireless station.

Communications
Dialing Code: 095
Coast Guard: channels 16,26 and 67
RNLI Lifeboat:

Transport

Road

The N59 road from Galway (77 km away) to Westport, County Mayo (64 km) passes through the town.

Coach

Regular coach services are provided by Bus Éireann and Citylink, connecting Clifden with Galway city. Some bus services operate through Oughterard, to the south of Lough Corrib, while others operate via Clonbur / Headford to the north of Lough Corrib.

Clifden Catholic Church.

Rail

From 1895 to 1935 Clifden was the western terminus of the Midland Great Western Railway. Clifden station was opened on 1 July 1895, but finally closed on 29 April 1935.[7] The station was later converted into the Station House Hotel, flats, shops and a museum.

Economy

Clifden is the main town in Connmemara; therefore it is home to a range of services. The HQ for the Connemara Garda service is in Clifden and the main Fire Station for Connemara is in Clifden.

Part of the services on offer is a public library.

Sports

Clifden is also home to the Connemara All Blacks, which is the rugby team that is prominent in Connemara.

Events

  • The Connemara Pony Show, organized by the Connemara Pony Breeders Society and held on the third Thursday in August since 1924.
  • Clifden Community Arts Week in late September offers poetry reading, lectures, recitals and traditional music. The festival was first started by teachers in Clifden Community School in 1979 to bring creative arts into the classroom.
  • Omey Island Races: horse racing on the beach.
  • Clifden Regatta.
  • In honor of Jon Riley, on 12 September the town of Clifden flies the Mexican flag.
Clifden town centre

Literature

James Mylet's debut novel Lex is set in Clifden. The Guardian newspaper in the United Kingdom reviewed the novel as being set in "the fictional town of Clifden on Ireland's west coast", leading to at least one letter pointing out this inaccurate statement.[8]

Religion

Clifden lies within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tuam and the Church of Ireland Diocese of Tuam, Killala and Achonry, and its Omey Union Parish. Clifden has two churches: St. Joseph's (Roman Catholic) and Christ Church (Church of Ireland).

Places of interest

Sister Cities

See also

Notes

^ A "bee-hive cell" is small, free standing stone dwelling, circular in shape, constructed of stone and corbelled until it closes at the top. It is usually associated with hermits and monks.

References

  1. ^ Landed Estates, Family: D'Arcy (Kiltullagh & Clifden Castle)
  2. ^ Villiers-Tuthill, Kathleen (2006). Beyond the Twelve Bens - a history of Clifden and district 1860-1923. Connemara Girl Publications. p. 11. ISBN 978-0-9530455-1-8.
  3. ^ Villiers-Tuthill, Kathleen (2006). Beyond the Twelve Bens - a history of Clifden and district 1860-1923. Connemara Girl Publications. pp. 14–15. ISBN 978-0-9530455-1-8.
  4. ^ a b c Villiers-Tuthill, Kathleen (2006). Beyond the Twelve Bens - a history of Clifden and district 1860-1923. Connemara Girl Publications. p. 177. ISBN 978-0-9530455-1-8.
  5. ^ Villiers-Tuthill, Kathleen (2006). Beyond the Twelve Bens - a history of Clifden and district 1860-1923. Connemara Girl Publications. pp. 209–213. ISBN 978-0-9530455-1-8.
  6. ^ The Clifden Station of the Marconi Wireless Telegraph System, Scientific American, Nov 23, 1907
  7. ^ "Clifden station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved 2007-09-16.
  8. ^ "How are things in Gloccamara?". Irish Independent. Retrieved on 18 June 2011.
  9. ^ Clifden and The Sky Road
  10. ^ http://www.advertiser.ie/galway/article/51580?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GalwayAdvertiser+%28Galway+Advertiser%29
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