Connemara Heritage & History Centre

Clifden


Farmer Dan O'Hara lived here in the 1840s until his eviction from the farm and subsequent emigration to New York, where he ended up selling matches on the street. Its present owners have restored the property, turning it into a window onto lost traditional ways, including cutting peat by hand. It's 7km east of Clifden, with last admission an hour before closing.

There's a craft shop and tearoom on-site.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Clifden attractions

1. Station House Museum

4.44 MILES

Located in a former train shed, this small, absorbing museum has displays on the local ponies and pivotal aspects of Clifden's history, including the…

2. Derrigimlagh Discovery Point

4.76 MILES

A wealth of interactive exhibits dot this 5km scenic loop walk around windswept bogland: crystal radio sets let you listen to recordings from the 1907…

3. Connemara National Park

5.15 MILES

Immediately southeast of Letterfrack, Connemara National Park spans 2000 dramatic hectares of bog, mountains, heath and woodlands.

4. Kylemore Abbey

5.75 MILES

Photogenically perched on the shores of Pollacapall Lough, 4km east of Letterfrack, Kylemore is a crenellated 19th-century neo-Gothic fantasy. It was…

5. Roundstone Musical Instruments

6.04 MILES

At the village's southern edge, you can watch Malachy Kearns, Ireland's only full-time maker of traditional bodhráns, handcrafting goat-skin drums in his…

6. DK Connemara Oysters

6.14 MILES

On these hour-long tours you'll get a real sense of the skill and sheer hard work that goes into producing Connemara's famous oysters. Then try your hand…

7. Connemara Smokehouse

9.92 MILES

At this family-run smokehouse, tours reveal hand filleting and traditional preparation, slicing and packing of wild and organic salmon, and various…

8. Sheep & Wool Centre

12.09 MILES

On Leenane's main street, just north of the bridge, sits a compelling little museum dedicated to sheep and wool. It has spinning and weaving…