Claddaghduff

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Claddaghduff (derived from the Irish An Cladach Dubh meaning the black shore) is a village in County Galway, in the province of Connacht, Ireland. It is located northwest of Clifden, the gateway to Omey Island, and like much of Connemara is noted for its beautiful seascapes.

1 History
2 Tourism
3 See also
4 References

[edit] History

The town, now sparsely populated, offers much history. The northern part of the island of Omey contains the ruins of Teampal Feichin, a medieval granite church dedicated to St. Feichin. Claddaghduff has been a popular site for writers and artists. Richard Murphy's poetry was inspired by the local lore, landscapes, and seascapes and novelist John McGahern also resided in the village. Much of the scenery and ambience of Walter Macken's famous novels is based on his time in and around Claddaghduff.

The townland, as with most of Connemara, was deeply affected by the Gorta Mor of 1847-48, with vast numbers leaving for America and Boston in particular. At Grallagh there remains a graveyard by the shore which was chosen to hold the deceased children whose lives were cut short by the starvation and disease which wreaked havoc on the region.

19th century rural Ireland lay at the whim of British landlords and their (often Irish) land agents. Such was no different in and around Claddaghduff, where the vast majority of farmlands were owned by English landlords who rented out the land to subsistence farmers. Evidence of the effect of such a tenuous existence is shown in the large number of abandoned houses which surround the village and outlying townland.

Claddaghduff was the scene of at least one of Daniel O'Connell's 'Monster Rallies' during the campaign in Ireland for religious and political emancipation.

[edit] Tourism

As a place of exceptional beauty, Claddaghduff is heavily reliant upon the seasonal tourism of the spring and summer months.

Claddaghduff is known for its deep sea angling, lake fishing, boat trips to Inishturk and Inishbofin, pony trekking, pitch & putt, dive sites, beaches and historical tours.^[1]