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CLIFDEN |
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Because of the dramatic grandeur of the Connemara mountains and the
romantic pull of Galway, you expect CLIFDEN ( Clochán , "the stepping
stones") - known as the capital of Connemara - to be something special.
In fact it's a very small place with only two significant streets. Its
great asset is its position, perched high above the deep sides of the
boulder-strewn estuary of the River Owenglin. The circling jumble of the
Twelve Bens provides a magnificent scenic backdrop, and the broad
streets seem consciously to open out to take in the fresh air of the
mountains and the Atlantic. Gimlet spires of matching nineteenth-century
churches pierce the sky, giving Clifden a sharp, distinctive skyline.
Clifden seems to be trying hard to cultivate the cosmopolitan atmosphere
of Galway. Lots of European tourists come here, but, aiming to serve all
tastes, the town somehow misses the mark. Bars have loud disco music
blaring out onto the streets - exactly the kind of thing most Gaelophile
Europeans have come to get away from. It attracts a fair number of young
Dubliners, too, revving up the life of this otherwise quiet, rural town.
The place is at its most interesting when it's busy being Irish: during
the annual Connemara Pony Show , for example, on the third Thursday in
August. This is for the sale and judging of Connemara ponies, tough,
hardy animals that are well suited to a harsh bog and mountain existence,
yet renowned for their docile temperament. There's also a community
festival in the last week of September.
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