Clifden, County Galway, Ireland - Clifden Connemara

Описание: 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 (   • Clifden County Galway - The Capital of Con...  ).

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 (   • Dunguaire Castle near Kinvara - County Gal...  ), we have visited Turoe Pet Farm for the kids which they definitely enjoyed playing at (   • Turoe Pet Farm - Children's Outdoor Activi...  ), and we have also enjoyed the road trip to Galway which we have been through while reaching Connemara at some point (   • Irish Roads / Irish Countryside - On the R...  ).

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.