Marconi Station

CRHnews - Marconi's World First Wireless Telegram Service Clifden

Alcock and Brown (seated in railcar) after their momentous 16 1/2 hour flight across the Atlantic in 1919 in their Vickers Vimy crash landed in Derrygimlagh Bog in Ireland.

This location was some 4 miles south of Clifden in Connemara and adjacent to the pioneering Marconi Wireless Station.

The only means of transport to this out-post was a two-foot gauge railway.

Its principle locomotive was a conversion on an Edwardian Lancia, the adaptation being undertaken by Marconi engineers at their works at Chelmsford and delivered by sea and rail to Clifden.

BBC TV's hugely popular 'Coast' visited Ireland in 2010 and Dick Strawbridge did a first class piece of research and updating of Marconi's Clifden site which in 2017 celebrated its 110th anniversary.

Guglielmo Marconi caused a communications sensation when he transmitted wireless messages from his station at Poldhu in Cornwall to Newfoundland on December 12, 1901, writes Shane Joyce

Having received a grant of $80,000 from the Canadian Government to build a station at Glace Bay in Nova Scotia, he commenced the task of perfecting wireless communication with Poldhu from late 1902.

He experienced extreme difficulty in providing commercially viable communications and decided to move his easterly station as far west as possible and decided on Clifden (Derrigimlagh) after making tests at a number of sites.

The station was not officially opened until 17th October 1907, when commercial signalling commenced between Clifden and Glace Bay.

It was a sight to behold, with the huge condenser house building, the power house with its 6 boilers, and the massive aerial system consisting of 8 wooden masts, each 210 feet high extending eastwards over the hill for a distance of 0.5 kilometres.

The aerials gave off sparks which could be heard in the distance, indicative of the huge power and voltages involved (150KW at 15,000 volts).

As time moved on, advances were made in the technology and a more powerful station was built at Caernarfon in North Wales.

The Clifden station was attacked by republican forces in July 1922 and some buildings were damaged.

The Marconi Company sought compensation from the new Free State government, but this did not materialise.

The station was closed shortly after.

The remains of the station have lain dormant since the contents were sold for scrap after the closure.

Employees of the station have passed away and regrettably, little has been done to record the details of what was a great industrial enterprise of the 20th century.

The Clifden and Connemara Heritage Society are currently planning on developing the site for the public to enjoy. It is expected that this will become a major tourist attraction in a beautiful landscape.



CRHnews says that the former Marconi site has indeed become a major tourist heritage attraction which hopefully should inspire Chelmford City and Essex County Council to promote another world first, Marcon's Hall Street WorX, as a world heritage site.

Marconi Clifden was officially visited by the Italian Ambassador and Princess Elettra Marconi to celebrate its Centenary in 2007.

EI/PA3ANG/P Marconi Site near @Clifden, Ierland

Very complicated!

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.

Marconi and Connemara

Ever wanted to know about Marconi's famous station near Clifden in Connemara.

Clifden and the Peat-powered Transmitter

You don't get much more wild and lonely than the peat bog at the end of the earth - Clifden in Galway, Ireland. Yet because it is the closest point to America, it was chosen by Marconi as the site for his transmitting station. (It was also where Alcock and Brown crash-landed when crossing the Atlantic by plane.)

The station was powered by a peat-fuelled generator and tuned by means of huge sheets of iron, taller than a man, that could be raised or lowered to alter the capacitance. Primitive though it seems to us today, it remained in use until it was blown up by the IRA in one of their more lunatic brainstorms.

MARCONI CELEBRATIONS IN CLIFDEN CONCLUDED

12th-17th October 2007

Connemara - The History of Clifden

Kathleen Villiers-Tuthill's excellent books on the history of Connemara are available at: connemaragirlpublications.com

Best Attractions and Places to See in Clifden, Ireland

Clifden Travel Guide. MUST WATCH. Top things you have to do in Clifden. We have sorted Tourist Attractions in Clifden for You. Discover Clifden as per the Traveler Resources given by our Travel Specialists. You will not miss any fun thing to do in Clifden.

This Video has covered Best Attractions and Things to do in Clifden.

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List of Best Things to do in Clifden, Ireland.

The Point Equestrian Centre and Pony Trekking
Sky Road
Clifden Castle
Marconi Station
Alcock and Brown Landing Site
Mannin Bay Blueway
Connemara Heritage and History Centre
Aillebrack Green Coast Beach
Whitethorn Gallery
Clifden Station House Museum

MARCONI REMEMBERED ONCE AGAIN IN CLIFDEN CONNEMARA

Marconi working Ireland on his Marconi 4x 030611

I created this video using my Logitech webcam software.

Ireland Clifden 1967 Part 1

First part of a small documentary about Clifden connemara broadcasted on RTE in 1967.

Marconi Station

Marconi Station - Wellfleet Ma. on Cape Cod - 2006

Clifden Railway part 1.wmv

Documentary of the Clifden - Galway Railway

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

Marconi & Alcock & Brown celebrations in Clifden, 1995.

Marconi & Alcock & Brown celebrations in Clifden, 1992.

A visit to the old marconi site

Driving the bog road Clifden

Connemara, Galway, Ireland - Ireland Vacation in Galway

Connemara, Galway is the new destination to head for and this video is all about walking through the area, getting introduced to the different shops and restaurants which are located there and at the same time visiting some of the parks which are located there. We stayed in Clifden town in Galway - which is in the centre of Connemara.

Connemara is a cultural region in county Galway, Ireland and the most famous town in it is Clifden which is always referred to as the capital of Connemara for its size ( This area - Connemara - consists of west Galway, which is the part of the county west of Lough Corrib, contained by Killary Harbour, Galway Bay, and the Atlantic Ocean.

After saying goodbye to the apartment which we took in Connemara in order to enjoy the vacation we have been on, we went through the streets of the town and came across some of the places which we found suggested by those who have been there before, such as the Connemara Heritage and History Centre which is placed in Clifden, the Marconi Station in Clifden where the Alcock and Brown landing site is also located, there is the Clifden Castle, the Aughnanure Castle which is found in Oughterard, and other places which you could visit according to the place you are going to be staying at and which is close to you.

While walking through these different shops, we entered some and one of them got the attention of the kids who kept walking through the toys and even chose to buy a toy instead of getting ice cream - which was a tough decision to take but they eventually made their minds - adults were the ones to choose ice cream at that point and leave the kids for the toys.

We then moved forward with the trip to reach the national park in which we walked there, got inside the visitor centre and were introduced to all the different information that were written inside there and which were shown to us through different ways, like pictures and real examples and where we also got the chance to know more about the old stories of the witches and fairies. It was really interesting inside this visitor centre for the kids who were receiving different information in a more interesting and well-informing way.

Completing the journey we have started in Connemara, we then moved forward to reach all those other nature destinations which we fell in love with and loved the way we managed to take videos of - drone - before we headed to the next and final place which we were going to visit - the most important thing to mention here is the views which one will get while driving from one place to the other; we were enjoying the visit from every single possible angle.

The second park we visited during our trip to Connemara was more of climbing a hill to reach the top and see what it has to offer us. This was also interesting since one of the most famous things known about Connemara is its marble stone, which we managed to get across some on our walk through this hill. The whole thing was different and even the views we managed to collect on this trip were all very natural - we will never get over the photos we have taken and those videos we also brought back home with us.

There are lots of things which we discovered about Connemara, such as the fact that it carries some linguistics traditions as being one of the largest Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking) regions that locals use on a daily basis. This will be interesting for those who want to learn this language or even want just to see how people are dealing with it - it is not that easy though. It is not just about the language which the people of Connemara are using, but there are actually lots of differences found in this region which are related to history as well as to their musical interests.

Tourists or visitors to the place - just like us - might not have that much time to learn a language, but they could enjoy listening to the way people talk and deal with one another and they will also get the chance to enjoy getting introduced to those different tastes in music and any other thing - and that's of course after passing by the cultural places and those historical destinations related to the touristic experience which they will be coming in the first place in order to have and know more about.

Since Connemara is part of Galway, it is important to mention that there are different other places which we have been to in Galway before, such as being to the Oranmore Castle ( being to Turoe Pet Farm which was more interesting for the kids ( as well as those beautiful scenes we got the chance to see on the road to Galway ( which was one of our favorite.

Have you ever visited Connemara before? What did you visit there and what is the one place you liked the most? Tell us more!

Marconi's Legacy in Ireland