Love Connemara Visitor Information Centre

Clifden County Galway - The Capital of Connemara - Ireland. We love Clifden Ireland #Galway

Clifden would be the main town in the Connemara region of Ireland. It has some of the best restaurants and great hotels and is an excellent base point to explore the wonders in the countryside around it.

Clifden is coastal town in County Galway ( Ireland, in the region of Connemara, located on the Owenglin River where it flows into Clifden Bay. Clifden is usually referred to as the capital of the city because it is the largest town in the region.

This town in Connemara is always headed for when it comes to tourism because it is the first choice that people go for. From the different places of interest that one could visit in Clifden and around it, there is the Twelve Bens - sometimes referred to as Twelve Pins - which is a mountain range of sharp-peaked quartzite ranges located northeast of Roundstone in Connemara. Another touristic attraction in Clifden is Connemara National Park which is one of six national parks in the Republic of Ireland, there is also Sky Road which is a long drive along Clifden Road and Streamstown Bay with views of the Atlantic, Clifden Castle, coast-guard station, the islands of Inishturk and Turbot and the town. Adding to those, one could also visit the Inishbofin in Clifden which is a small island off the coast of Connemara, Slyne Head lighthouse, as well as the Derrygimlagh Bog which is a natural wilderness of blanket bog located 6 km south of Clifden and the site of the Alcock and Brown crash-landing and the Marconi transatlantic wireless station.

There are usually lots of different things for one to explore when it comes to travelling because people do not always follow the same rules and thus some might fall upon specific places which others didn't get the chance to pass by.

From those places which are considered more known for the people when it comes to the attractions of Clifden, there is Clifden Castle, Connemara Heritage and History Centre, the Whitethorn Gallery, Connemara National Park and Visitor Centre, the Station House Museum, and the Rifle-Sebastian Sculpture.

We believe that Connemara is a place of contrasts, colors, and wilderness - it might not only be about Clifden which is just one stop in Connemara, but it is about the place as a whole. In addition to Clifden, there are different other towns in Connemara which one could stop by and check (according to the attractions that might be found in every single one of them or even the activities that could be done there). These towns in Connemara include Oughterard, Maam, Recess, Roundstone, Cashel, Carna, Ballyconneely, Cleggan, Claddaghduff, Letterfrack, the Renvyle peninsula and Leenane.

Connemara in general is a place with a landscape that is magnificent and which mainly goes to its location as well as the harsh conditions that it might be passing through all year long. Speaking of Connemara in general and not just Clifden at this point, there are some beautiful places to go to in it such as the different beaches that it hosts, the Kylemore Abbey and Victorian Walled Garden, the Omey Island Walk, as well as the Connemara National Park.

We didn't get the chance to pass by all those different towns and of course not all those attractions as well, but when we were in Clifden and took this footage back home with us, we were actually thrilled by the beauty of the place and the nature that the eyes are always settling on in the town.

There are different activities in Clifden that one could enjoy and which include cycling, mountain climbing, walking, hiking, pony riding, as well as those other water activities that could be performed and which include swimming, surfing, kayaking, and diving - if you chose the right time of the year to go to Clifden then you will enjoy getting into these activities and will also get the chance to enjoy the salty water, so always make sure you are heading to this place during the right time to enjoy as much activities as you can.

One good thing to enjoy while being in Clifden is the Clifden Farmer's Market in which traders and sellers come to the town of Clifden in order to sell their fresh produce to the public every Friday morning, so make sure to pass by this market and see what it holds out there for you.

Please do comment below if you have anything to suggest for our article what to do in Clifden Ireland. Some people have asked us Where is Clifden :-) Have tempted not to tell them! Keep it our secret! But that would not be too nice - we definitely want to explore more towns in Connemara - we want to see all we can in the region...so next visit! :-) Wait for other towns in Connemara which we will be visiting in the future to check what they carry inside for the tourists and what one could enjoy doing in every single one of them; scenes and activities.

Some of the best locations around Ireland / Northern Ireland and further afield. Clifden County Galway - The Capital of Connemara - Ireland. We love Clifden Ireland #Galway

Clifden, County Galway, Ireland - Clifden Connemara

At the beginning, it was all based on the idea of getting on trips every now and then with the kids to explore Ireland and see what our country has from hidden treasures and sharing those experiences with the people worldwide so that they could write down some destinations to check while being in the country.

Here we are this time on a trip to Clifden in county Galway in the region of Connemara, where we enjoyed the Dolphin beach which is a couple of miles outside Clifden, got the chance to see Clifden Castle, and eventually visited Alcock and Brown Marconi place.

We didn't get the chance to take a dip in the sea water - that would have taken a lot of time from our day and thus would have ruined the plan we had - but we enjoyed walking by the water and enjoyed the sun, and the kids also loved playing by the beach as well - actually everywhere in this area would be welcoming you with water, which was one of the most beautiful things about the trip.

For those who don't know, Clifden is a coastal town in county Galway, Ireland, in the region of Connemara and it is located on the Owenglin River where it flows into Clifden Bay. Clifden is also considered the largest town in the region and thus whenever Connemara is mentioned, Clifden would be referred to it as its capital (

One of the highlights of Clifden is Clifden Castle and this was exactly where our second destination was. Clifden Castle is a ruined manor house located west of the town of Clifden which was built back in 1818 in the Gothic Revival style for John D'Arcy, the local landowner and the founder of Clifden. This castle faces south and overlooks Clifden Bay and its original features used to include a rounded tower to the southeast, a square tower and an entry tower with two round turrets. After the death of D'Arcy, the ownership passed from one person to the other - starting with his son - but eventually it all didn't go as well as he wished and everything brought the castle to the ruins we see today - but we should all agree that it still looks different and catchy from the outside.

The entry to this castle is through the gateway and this gateway could be seen from the Sky Road. Getting access into the gateway along a path that meanders across the hillside to the castle, you will spot the crazing cows, sheep and horses which are found on the grassland, even part of the castle ruins is now a cow pen - we have seen all these animals while walking to reach the castle.

Taking our break in the middle of the trip - you will also need to do that if you have gotten up early to start your day - we have been to a restaurant in order to have our lunch before we could go on and complete the rest of the trip by visiting the Alcock and Brown Marconi place.

Alcock and Brown Marconi is the first transatlantic flight that lands in Connemara and that was through a Vickers-Vimy biplane behind the Marconi wireless station at Derrigimlagh, which is 4 kilometres south of Clifden. The name of this place goes back to the two British airmen who were flying the plane and who were named: Captain John Alcock (the pilot) and Lieutenant Arthur Whitten Brown (the navigator). As much as it was considered a different kind of trip, this achievement has earned those two airmen a £10,000 prize and a place in the aviation history (which is why we are talking about them right now).

When you spot that plane in the illustrated picture on the site, you will find that its nose is dipped and its tail is lifted and that happened because when Alcock recognized his destination and decided to land, he thought that he is gliding towards a level stretch of ground behind the station, so when the wheels landed it ran a short distance before it actually sank into the bog, but both the pilot and the navigator were safe.

There are other beautiful places which one could visit in Clifden other than those which we have been to, such as Connemara Heritage and History Centre, the Whitethorn Gallery, Connemara National Park Visitor Centre, Derrigimlagh Discovery Point, as well as the Station House Museum.

Generally speaking, we have been to other destinations in county Galway which we should mention: we have been to Oranmore Castle ( we have visited Turoe Pet Farm for the kids which they definitely enjoyed playing at ( and we have also enjoyed the road trip to Galway which we have been through while reaching Connemara at some point (

This was the trip to Clifden, Connemara, and the different stops we have made to check the place. Have you ever been to Clifden and have you ever visited any of these different destinations which we have been to? Share your experience with us!

The best locations around Ireland / Northern Ireland and further afield. A travel blog/vlog of the hidden treasures that are on our doorstep.