HISTORY OF CLIFDEN
1810-1860
A near perfect history of the first 50 years of
“Newtown Clifden”.
Connacht Tribune
‘....vivid pictures of Clifden;
priests uncovering an arms cache
and maintaining law and order.’
The Irish Times
Connemara in the early nineteenth century was described by John D’Arcy as been “inhabited by a rare breed of people, wild like the mountains, whose principal occupation was smuggling: about this time I undertook the difficult task of improving the land and civilising the people, for which purpose I commenced building the town of Clifden”.
This is the story of John D’Arcy’s determination to build his town, his ambition to open up Connemara and convert a sparsely populated wasteland into a cultivated region, with Clifden as its market town and seaport.
By the same author
