The end of the 18th century and the early 19th century was the boom time for Irish gardens. Before this the situation within the country was not conducive to the construction of gardens. Obviously there would have been some gardens and most houses would have had vegetable gardens, but the […]
The Galway to Clifden railway was in operation for forty years from 1895 to 1935, it was a single line of standard gauge, 5 feet 3 inches, with a total length of 48 miles 550 feet. The line ran through central Connemara and had seven stations, Moycullen, Ross, Oughterard, Maam […]
What makes a saga, formal history? How does lore become fact? When bits and pieces — recollections, traditions, memories — find themselves laid down on the page, or passed down in oral yarns or song. Those are the chronicles that ensure longevity, a place in collective consciousness, a position within […]
Batallón de San Patricio: the Irish Heroes of Mexico Paper appears courtesy of Martín Paredes – http://www.martinparedes.com/ Introduction On September 12, 1997, Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo held a ceremony in Mexico City in honor of the 150th anniversary of the San Patricio Battalion. Representing Ireland, Ambassador Sean O’Huighinn was also […]
Image courtesy of the National Library of Ireland. By Michael Gibbons The area of Clifden has been settled for at least 7,000 years, and possibly as far back as 10,000 years. This Age, known as the Mesolithic or middle Stone Age, was dominated by a hunter/gatherer lifestyle based on fishing, […]
Image courtesy of John Halbrook Breandán O’Scanaill traces the flight of Alcock and Brown and outlines the conditions prevailing in Clifden at the time. On June 15th 1919, Alcock and Brown crash landed their Vickers Vimy aircraft in Derrygimla Bog just south of Clifden, after their harrowing sixteen […]
Photo courtesy of Bart Maguire GUGLIELMO MARCONI (1874-1937) “There have been three great moments in my life as an inventor. One when my early wireless signals rang a bell at the other side of the room in which I was carrying out my experiment; the second when the signals […]
Clifden today is a vibrant and cosmopolitan town on the very edge of Europe. It has a population of 2,609 but the hinterland which it serves as the administrative and economic capital to has almost 10,000 inhabitants (source; Census 2011). The town known as the “Capital of Connemara” boasts a […]
