Christ Church (Omey) · Photo: Newbert12 · CC BY-SA 4.0Clifden has 20 buildings on the National Inventory
Old homes stand out in Clifden: 9.4% were built before 1919, where the typical town has 3.4%. The oldest record dates from 1785. The Sites and Monuments Record adds 11 archaeological sites inside the town.
Old and new: 12 photos and 3 old views of Clifden
The old photographs show Clifden between 1885 and 1908. Pictures exist for 7 of the places Clifden has on the record. Look out for Christ Church (Omey) and Saint Joseph's Catholic Church.
Saint Joseph's Catholic ChurchRegional rating (NIAH)
Tomás Ó Faoláin MonumentRegional rating (NIAH)
Clifden Railway Station (locomotive shed)Regional rating (NIAH)
Ardbear Old BridgeRegional rating (NIAH)
Ardbear BridgeRegional rating (NIAH)+7See all photosPhotos from Wikimedia Commons, copied to our own server, each credited to its photographer with its licence; names open the place’s page. Tap a photo to step through them full screen.
Clifden from 1885 to 1908
3 old photographs, in date order. All made before 1950.
1885
c. 1891
1908From Wikimedia Commons, copied to our own server: public domain, or from the National Library of Ireland’s collections (Lawrence, Poole, Eason and others) with no known copyright restrictions. Each credit opens the image’s page.
Where Clifden’s history is
Every building and site on the record inside the town, by its rating.
Hover a dot for its name; tap one to open its page.
The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage is the State’s survey of buildings from 1700 to today, county by county; each record gives a rating, dates, a type and an appraisal. Being on it is not legal protection: that is each council’s Record of Protected Structures.
Points from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage and the Sites and Monuments Record, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (CC BY 4.0).
20 historic places in Clifden
Buildings rated Regional, of significance in their region, and archaeological monuments with an encyclopedia article.
All 16, A to Z
4 recorded by their type and address
4 are recorded only by their type and address: 2 inns, shops and warehouses, 1 homes and 1 other buildings; most date from the 19th century.
A record rich in churches and chapels: 25% in Clifden, against 7% across Ireland
Clifden has no nationally rated building; its record is regional. Counted by type, homes come first, 6 of them (30%). At the top of the record: Ardbear Old Bridge and Ardbear New Bridge.
Types as the National Inventory records them, grouped; a building keeps the type it was built as.
Most of Clifden’s dated buildings come from the 19th century
Each building by the first date on its record.
1 of the 20 dated ones were built before 1800. The oldest is Ardbear Old Bridge, from 1785.
Archaeology in Clifden
The Sites and Monuments Record lists every known archaeological site; most are field monuments with little to see. By kind:
11 archaeological sites inside the town
Sites on the Record of Monuments and Places, the statutory list drawn from this record, are protected by law: anyone planning work at or near one must give the National Monuments Service two months’ notice.
| Graveyard3 records |
| Church2 records |
| Standing stone1 record |
| Monumental structure1 record |
| Prison1 record |
| Courthouse1 record |
| Burial1 record |
| Town1 record |
Just outside Clifden: 28
| Streamstown House (mill (water))Regional rating (NIAH) · 2 km outside the town |
| Streamstown HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 2 km outside the town |
| MalmoreRegional rating (NIAH) · 600 m outside the town |
| Ardbear BridgeRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.4 km outside the town |
| Ballinaboy BridgeRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.5 km outside the town |
| Clifden Castle (country house)Regional rating (NIAH) · 1.9 km outside the town |
| Clifden Castle (gates / railings / walls)Regional rating (NIAH) · 1.4 km outside the town |
| Clifden Castle (farmyard complex)Regional rating (NIAH) · 2 km outside the town |
| Gleann AoibheannRegional rating (NIAH) · 1.2 km outside the town |
| Ardbear CottageRegional rating (NIAH) · 1 km outside the town |
| The Grain StoreRegional rating (NIAH) · 300 m outside the town |
| Errislannan ManorRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.8 km outside the town |
| Ballinaboy HouseRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.3 km outside the town |
| D'Arcy MonumentRegional rating (NIAH) · 400 m outside the town |
| The RectoryRegional rating (NIAH) · 100 m outside the town |
| Holy Trinity Church (Ballindoon)Regional rating (NIAH) · 2.5 km outside the town |
| Clifden Coastguard StationRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.5 km outside the town |
| Quay, Beach Road, ClifdenRegional rating (NIAH) · 200 m outside the town |
| Pier, BallinaboyRegional rating (NIAH) · 2.1 km outside the town |
| House, 1 Lee's Terrace, Riverside, ClifdenRegional rating (NIAH) · 100 m outside the town |
Since 2011, building in Clifden has been slow: 2.4% of its homes, the norm is 5.8%
Homes built from 1946 to 1980 make up just 12% of Clifden’s, against 24% in the typical town. Look at when Clifden’s homes went up and one period leads: in the 2000s, with 37%. Clifden added a lot from 1981 to 2000: 35% of its homes, the typical town 24%.
Census 2022, households by the year their home was built (CSO, Small Area Population Statistics, CC BY 4.0); the typical town is the middle Irish town of 2,500 or more.
3 notable people born in Clifden before 1900
From John Riley (1824) to Thomas Whelan (1898): their lives on one timeline, earliest first.
Everyone born in Clifden → Birthplaces from Wikidata, each checked against the person’s English Wikipedia article; portraits from Wikimedia Commons.
Clifden in brief
Old houses are part of Clifden’s character: 9.4% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town. All told, the list holds 20 places on the record. Most of its dated monuments come from the 19th century: 18 of 20. The oldest, Ardbear Old Bridge, dates from 1785.
John Riley (1824), Alan Joseph Adamson (1857) and Thomas Whelan (1898) were all born here before 1900. It also has 11 archaeological sites on the record.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The National Inventory. The State’s survey of post-1700 buildings, made county by county since 1990 (NIAH); a few records are older. It records; it does not protect.
- Ratings. International and National: of significance across Ireland or beyond. Regional: in its region. Local and record-only buildings get no page here.
- Archaeology. The Sites and Monuments Record (National Monuments Service) lists known archaeological sites; the national monuments to visit and the sites with an encyclopedia article get pages here.
- Protection. Both registers are surveys, not protection: a building is protected by its council’s Record of Protected Structures, and no national open list joins the 31 councils’ records.
- The grade. Ireland’s History grade is not built yet: the page describes, and gives no grade.
Questions about Clifden’s history
How many historic buildings are recorded in Clifden?
20 buildings on the National Inventory, from the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
What is the oldest building in Clifden?
Ardbear Old Bridge: the first date on its record is 1785.
Are there archaeological sites in Clifden?
Yes: the Sites and Monuments Record lists 11 archaeological sites inside Clifden.
How old are the homes in Clifden?
9.4% of its homes were built before 1919, against 3.4% in the typical town.
Are the buildings on this page protected?
Being on the National Inventory or the Sites and Monuments Record is a record, not protection by itself: buildings are protected by their council’s Record of Protected Structures, which each council keeps and no national open list gathers, so this page can’t say which are on it.
This page describes its history; it gives no grade.
Source: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage and Sites and Monuments Record, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (CC BY 4.0); Wikidata (CC0).
Sources: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (buildingsofireland.ie) · Sites and Monuments Record and the National Monuments Service’s monuments to visit · CSO Census 2022 (homes by the year built) · Photos: Wikimedia Commons, including the National Library of Ireland’s collections, each credited with its licence and copied to our own server · Wikidata and English Wikipedia for people born here · Wikidata (CC0) for other names and articles. Under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).
Contains Central Statistics Office (CSO) data, Census 2022, and Tailte Éireann boundaries (CSO Urban Areas, Small Areas, local electoral areas, constituencies), under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).