Ireland's stunning Clifden Town. Right on the Atlantic Ocean, the most beautiful place on earth?
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- Опубликовано: 23 авг 2024
- Clifden town is one of the most beautiful in Ireland.
You may remember I created a film a while back on beautiful Connemara on the west coast of Ireland. Well, I’m back in Connemara, this time visiting the amazing coastal town of Clifden. The town is located on the Owenglin River, which flows around the outside of the town.
A lot of work goes into these videos. You can now buy me a pint as a means of appreciation for my work on Naked Ireland, no obligation, obviously - only if you can afford it... I appreciate it. Cheers.
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We’re turning now up into Market street, the main street of the town, and the first thing that you’ll notice is the breadth of the street. No thin medieval roadway here, but a spacious shopping street. Clifton wasn’t founded until the early 1800’s which perhaps will explain its wide streets. In other words it doesn’t date back to medieval times like other places in the west such as Galway or Ennis.
In fact it was founded after a John D’Arcy inherited the estate in 1804. Prior to that there were only a few fisherman and farmers here. When the first potato crop failure happened in 1821, it ironically served as a catalyst for the expansion of the town since D’Arcy petitioned the Dublin Government for aid. It came in the form of an Engineer, Alexandre Ninno, who built a quay here and began a road to connect with Galway. Prior to that Clifton was pretty inaccessible.
Check out these statistics, by the time of D’Arcy’s death in 1839 the town had grown to 185 dwellings. There were 23 pubs in the town! Imagine 23 pubs to serve 185 dwellings. That’s one pub for every 8 houses! Can you believe that. I guess there wasn’t much to do in Clifden in those days but drink.
We look at the rather 1960s looking hotel there in its shocking yellow colour is named after John Alcock and Arthur Brown, two transatlantic aviators who crash landed in a bog near here in 1919, thus having made the first non-stop transatlantic flight. And here’s the statue commemorating the occasion at the junction of Market Street and Main Street. They were only slightly injured in the crash landing, but unfortunately when they later returned to their biplane, the locals had helped themselves to the parts. I imagine the pair of them were livid at the destruction of their plane and you can just imagine the fancy aircraft parts appearing on carts and farmyard machinery in the area over the following weeks. But they won a tidy £10,000 (a million in todays money) for their endeavours.
Now we’ve seen some lovely towns recently on Naked Ireland, Ennis and Galway, Sligo and Balina, Westport and Kinsale, but I think you’ll agree that Clifden holds its own. Nice wee bar there too, with it’s pretty green frontage.
Another claim to fame the town has is that it was where Marconi built his first high powered transatlantic wireless station. So the first point to point wireless service between North America and Europe happened here in 1907.
Now if you’re visiting Ireland from abroad, a good idea might be to stay in a small bed and breakfast rather than on of the big hotels. These are often family run and it’s a good opportunity to have a more intimate stop over. They certainly won’t have the luxury of a hotel, in fact you’d need to check you have your own bathroom, but you’ll usually get a good breakfast and probably a bit of an auld chat with the owners.
But it’s not all transatlantic flights, wireless stations and nice pubs. Clifden has had it’s suffering too. It fared badly during the famine in 1847, but in the early 20th century it also became embroiled in the war of independence against the British and then subsequently in the Irish Civil War. After a local man named Thomas wheelen was arrested in connection with the IRAs assassination of British intelligence officers in Dublin, he was trailed and found guilty despite his insistence that he was innocence and witnesses that attested to his presence elsewhere, he was hanged. An IRA flying column in Clifden killed two RIC Constables as a reprisal which resulted in an event known as the ‘Burning of Clifton”.
Black and Tans arrived in the town on St Patricks day 1921 and burnt, plundered and murdered. Aside from burning 14 houses they killed one civilian, seriously injuring another. Black and Tans, for those viewing from outside Ireland were auxiliary police, mostly recruited as unemployed ex british army. They had a reputation as being poorly trained, undisciplined and brutal and were notorious for reprisal attacks of irish civilians. So we’re just coming round into Market Street again now.
You can see a shop of Aran knitwear across the street. The Aran Islands of course are not far from here out in the mouth of Galway Bay. So if you need a new sweater or a hat maybe, this could be the place to come. Mind you if you’re watching from the US or Canada, I accept it’s a long way to come shopping.
Fantastic! Thanks again for another lovely film. I do so look forward to them. Always beautiful and ever informative. Thanks so very much! Be blessed and well in all things.
Thanks again Timothy, I really appreciate that. I’ll try to keep them coming.
Another great video Greg. The west coast of Ireland is probably the nicest part of our island. Brings back memories for us.
I think it’s a very special place.
Love this video. I live 40 mins away in Oughterard. I'm a Wicklow man but live in Galway since 2014, and I don't see that ever changing.
West is the best and West is now home.
Thanks for the great video. ❤
Many thanks Barry, actually I did take a bit of film of Oughterard as I was passing through, so you might see that pop up in the future. I don't think it'll be a long one though, but I've got something.
I was in Clifden three weeks ago!!! Stayed at Alcock's and had the best Cod dinner at Mitchell's. I totally love the town hence me watching your video!! Great memories! Also went to Letterfrack. Totally love the west coast!!
It’s a fabulous part if the world, and so glad you checked out the video too. Thanks for your comment.
I met my wife in Clifden many years ago. Despite some changes there are lots of places I remember in the video.
What a nice romantic story. Thanks for sharing.
Superb …thanks for sharing
Many thanks for watching and commenting.
What a beautiful place. We haven’t been there…yet!
Highly recommended. Right on the edge of Ireland.
Great video again persuaded me to visit! 🤣🇮🇪
So glad Paul, thanks for watching
Great video!! A lot of great information on the town. Just wondering if you had a chance to see the Choctaw Nation memorial while you were in town? There is an amazing and very emotional story behind it during the famine years. Hoping to get an idea where it was. If you have any local information on that I would more than happy to connect on it.
Best from NJ, USA!!
I think the monument you’re after is in Midleton in east Cork. I’ve not seen it, but it’s definitely worth me making a video about it - what a story! Many thanks for watching, so glad you’re enjoying Naked Ireland.
Hello…. I stayed in a lovely Air B&B on Beach RD in Clifden
for 3 weeks in Sept. 2022. I was sitting outside on a lovely day, when I checked my Daily News app. and saw that the queen had died. I thought it strange that it wasn’t acknowledged by people until I realized where I was.😂in May of 2023 I stayed in Ballycastle NI, and got there on the day Charlie was crowned. Every pub was chock to the gills with revelers .I was saddened to see the division between the North and the Republic . I was supposed to go to Dingle, Portmagee and climb Skellig Michael this May, but had to cancel due to back pain. If I had the money I would move to Dingle area. Thanks for all of your
videos . Cheers 💚🤍🧡🇮🇪
Many thanks Maureen for your comprehensive comment. Yes, there can be a big difference sometimes between north and south, though you'll find many places in the north that are less than enthusiastic about the British monarchy, and that ambivalence is growing year on year. I hope your poor back clears up. I think they say that walking is generally good for back pain, so perhaps a trip to Dingle might still be a good idea? Hoping you win the lottery and can buy that beautiful house in Dingle!
John Houston used a view of Clifden in the opening of “The quiet man”.. the film was mainly filmed in acing…
Oh I love that film, and I love that director. Many thanks Paul for your support.
John Ford I believe.
oops!
Imagine doing a pub crawl there 😮😂
That’d be fun, if only we could go back in time!
It's on my to do list at the end of this month on my holidays from work ❤🎉
Lucky man!
I had to look up Clifden Town on google maps, I had never heard of it before. It reminds me a lot of Kenmare in County Kerry, where to turned to Market street mainly. There is certainly plenty of history associated with the place. I have to wonder what did the locals do with the parts of the aircraft, I can’t think what use they would have been apart from the wheels maybe.
Where’s next?
Tbh, I haven’t made a film for next week yet, such is the spontaneity of Naked Ireland! 😂. I’ll have have a good think and get cracking.
@@nakedireland Tut tut naughty boy 🤣. How about Donaghadee, County Down? Or have you done there?
That could be a future video I think, but defo wouldn’t be able to get that ready for the coming week. But rest assured, there will be a film!
@@nakedireland Good man 😁
I absolutely love your videos, however one tiny suggestion. Maybe you could find another track of music that is a little brighter or happier sounding. Your music choice sounds a bit down and negative to me. But again, I absolutely love your videos☺️!
Ah thanks Suzana, and also for the advice. I’ll prob stick with the music I have, for the time being anyway. Some people love it, some hate it. It’s hard to please everyone. But so glad you’re enjoying the vids anyway - hope you’ll keep watching.
@@nakedireland I think it’s in a minor key, and is a bit on the dark side. So it’s very difficult for me to watch more than one video at a time. But thank you for your reply and thank you for your lovely videos!!
Thanks again - best.
I can't take any more of your intro, it's like you hate the Country but love it at the same time, make up your mind a Mhac/Sir
Eddie, it’s easy, don’t watch it. Sorted.
@@nakedireland I can't I can't take the Negativity, does this stuff appeal to Unionists? I suppose that's the Idea but to me it's just very Separatist. It's just a different way of looking at things I suppose, sorry for any offence
No I don't think my channel appeals to unionists in the slightest (given my feedback from that quarter). I simply talk about the places I visit in an honest way. I'm not appealing to any constituency, either people like it or they don't. It's not compulsory viewing, so I'm assuming that if people don't like the film, they just won't watch.
@@eddiestaunton514 The towns and cities in the Rep of Ireland are far better looking .....more prosperous more wealthy than N.I......The road network in the Rep of Ireland is far superior and the Country in general feels richer...... and looks richer than the N.I. This reality in the twentieth century is very hard for the unionists to deal with....... it requires massive reprogramming to get them to accept and understand ....... it isn't like the 1800s.... they are like North Korea totally brainwashed........nothing but losers since 1922.
Shoulda shown the sea front.
I'll no doubt be back and sure I can make a separate film on that?
@@nakedireland aye. good lad. i just thought from the title of yer video we’d see some o’ the shore line but alas no. twasn’t to be.
Sorry about that. Thanks for watching anyway.