# Clifden, Co. Clare: townland, land parcels and planning Townland in the civil parish of Rath, barony of Inchiquin, Co. Clare; in Irish Tír Mhic Bhrain. - Area (Tailte Éireann): 1,916,973 m² (191.7 ha, 473.69 acres) - Land parcels (Tailte Éireann): 41 registered freehold parcels lie mostly in it, median 5,281 m² (0.53 ha, 1.3 acres) - Zoning (national zoning, MyPlan): not in a zoned settlement - Planning (National Planning Applications): 6 applications since 2010 - Civil parish: Rath, https://everytownland.com/clare/parish/rath.md - Barony: Inchiquin - Electoral division: Rath, the unit of the census - Census 2022 (Central Statistics Office): 268 people lived in 105 households in the Rath electoral division. 87% of households owned their home. 30% of homes were built since 2001. 9% of dwellings stood vacant on census night, and 8% were holiday homes. - County: Co. Clare, https://everytownland.com/clare.md - Placenames Database of Ireland: https://www.logainm.ie/en/6046 - Townland number at Tailte Éireann: 30650 - Centre: latitude 52.945361, longitude -9.100533 (WGS 84) ## Land parcels (registered freehold land, Tailte Éireann) 41 registered freehold parcels lie mostly in Clifden, from 90 m² to 170,562 m² (17.06 ha, 42.15 acres); 21 neighbouring parcels touch its boundary. Largest first: - Parcel 1442260: 170,562 m² (17.06 ha, 42.15 acres), https://everytownland.com/parcel/1442260.md - Parcel 1468865: 147,078 m² (14.71 ha, 36.34 acres), https://everytownland.com/parcel/1468865.md - Parcel 1504181: 145,552 m² (14.56 ha, 35.97 acres), https://everytownland.com/parcel/1504181.md - Parcel 1504180: 142,799 m² (14.28 ha, 35.29 acres), https://everytownland.com/parcel/1504180.md - Parcel 1472989: 112,895 m² (11.29 ha, 27.9 acres), https://everytownland.com/parcel/1472989.md - Parcel 1468825: 107,818 m² (10.78 ha, 26.64 acres), https://everytownland.com/parcel/1468825.md - Parcel 1464665: 99,093 m² (9.91 ha, 24.49 acres), https://everytownland.com/parcel/1464665.md - Parcel 1477677: 86,509 m² (8.65 ha, 21.38 acres), https://everytownland.com/parcel/1477677.md - Parcel 1455144: 77,431 m² (7.74 ha, 19.13 acres), https://everytownland.com/parcel/1455144.md - Parcel 1517895: 43,648 m² (4.36 ha, 10.79 acres), https://everytownland.com/parcel/1517895.md - Parcel 1481064: 32,450 m² (3.24 ha, 8.02 acres), https://everytownland.com/parcel/1481064.md - Parcel 1455146: 28,817 m² (2.88 ha, 7.12 acres), https://everytownland.com/parcel/1455146.md - Parcel 1495566: 22,935 m² (2.29 ha, 5.67 acres), https://everytownland.com/parcel/1495566.md - Parcel 1508775: 18,116 m² (1.81 ha, 4.48 acres), https://everytownland.com/parcel/1508775.md - Parcel 1454224: 12,516 m² (1.25 ha, 3.09 acres), https://everytownland.com/parcel/1454224.md - Parcel 1505276: 11,304 m² (1.13 ha, 2.79 acres), https://everytownland.com/parcel/1505276.md - Parcel 1455145: 8,819 m² (0.88 ha, 2.18 acres), https://everytownland.com/parcel/1455145.md - Parcel 1504719: 8,514 m² (0.85 ha, 2.1 acres), https://everytownland.com/parcel/1504719.md - Parcel 1429893: 8,492 m² (0.85 ha, 2.1 acres), https://everytownland.com/parcel/1429893.md - Parcel 2446999: 5,486 m² (0.55 ha, 1.36 acres), https://everytownland.com/parcel/2446999.md - Parcel 1497931: 5,281 m² (0.53 ha, 1.3 acres), https://everytownland.com/parcel/1497931.md - Parcel 1432085: 3,606 m² (0.36 ha, 0.89 acres), https://everytownland.com/parcel/1432085.md - Parcel 1504182: 3,149 m² (0.31 ha, 0.78 acres), https://everytownland.com/parcel/1504182.md - Parcel 2636718: 3,113 m² (0.31 ha, 0.77 acres), https://everytownland.com/parcel/2636718.md - Parcel 1455558: 3,061 m² (0.31 ha, 0.76 acres), https://everytownland.com/parcel/1455558.md - Parcel 1512730: 2,944 m² (0.29 ha, 0.73 acres), https://everytownland.com/parcel/1512730.md - Parcel 1482555: 2,848 m² (0.28 ha, 0.7 acres), https://everytownland.com/parcel/1482555.md - Parcel 1444360: 2,755 m² (0.28 ha, 0.68 acres), https://everytownland.com/parcel/1444360.md - Parcel 1501016: 2,542 m² (0.25 ha, 0.63 acres), https://everytownland.com/parcel/1501016.md - Parcel 1516802: 2,146 m² (0.21 ha, 0.53 acres), https://everytownland.com/parcel/1516802.md - Parcel 1514816: 2,093 m² (0.21 ha, 0.52 acres), https://everytownland.com/parcel/1514816.md - Parcel 1456202: 2,021 m² (0.2 ha, 0.5 acres), https://everytownland.com/parcel/1456202.md - Parcel 1433433: 1,853 m², https://everytownland.com/parcel/1433433.md - Parcel 1471573: 1,638 m², https://everytownland.com/parcel/1471573.md - Parcel 4166365: 1,105 m², https://everytownland.com/parcel/4166365.md - Parcel 5389914: 695 m², https://everytownland.com/parcel/5389914.md - Parcel 1490264: 511 m², https://everytownland.com/parcel/1490264.md - Parcel 1504044: 431 m², https://everytownland.com/parcel/1504044.md - Parcel 1483254: 387 m², https://everytownland.com/parcel/1483254.md - Parcel 2611598: 124 m², https://everytownland.com/parcel/2611598.md - Parcel 5044268: 90 m², https://everytownland.com/parcel/5044268.md ## Zoning (national zoning of development plans, MyPlan) No zone of a development plan covers Clifden in the national zoning. Outside zoned towns and villages, the county development plan's rural policies apply to each application. ## Planning applications whose site touches the townland (National Planning Applications, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage) 6 applications, newest first. - 5 Mar 2024, Clare County Council 2460097: Conditional. Permission, 1 home. to construct a new detached single storey dwelling house, wastewater treatment system, percolation area, well, upgrade an existing site entrance and all ancillary site works. File: https://www.eplanning.ie/ClareCC/AppFileRefDetails/2460097/0 - 6 Feb 2024, Clare County Council 2460043: N/a. Permission, 1 home. to construct a new detached single storey dwelling house, wastewater treatment system, percolation area, well, upgrade an existing site entrance and all ancillary site works. File: https://www.eplanning.ie/ClareCC/AppFileRefDetails/2460043/0 - 30 Sept 2022, Clare County Council 22884: Refused. Permission, 1 home. to construct a new detached single storey dwelling house, new site entrance, wastewater treatment system, percolation area, well and all ancillary site works. File: https://www.eplanning.ie/ClareCC/AppFileRefDetails/22884/0 - 4 Apr 2022, Clare County Council 22302: Conditional. Permission. to construct a new upper floor extension along with extensive modifications to existing split level dwelling and all associated site works. File: https://www.eplanning.ie/ClareCC/AppFileRefDetails/22302/0 - 25 Apr 2019, Clare County Council 19327: Conditional. Retention. to RETAIN a single storey sunroom extension to the existing dwelling house. File: https://www.eplanning.ie/ClareCC/AppFileRefDetails/19327/0 - 14 Dec 2017, Clare County Council 17970: N/a. Permission. to demolish an existing road boundary wall and construct a new road boundary wall and site entrance and all ancillary site works. File: https://www.eplanning.ie/ClareCC/AppFileRefDetails/17970/0 Applicants are not shown. ## Designated sites (National Parks and Wildlife Service) - Special Area of Conservation: East Burren Complex SAC, site code 001926, https://www.npws.ie/protected-sites/sac/001926 - Special Protection Area: Corofin Wetlands SPA, site code 004220, https://www.npws.ie/protected-sites/spa/004220 - Proposed Natural Heritage Area: East Burren Complex, site code 001926 ## Recorded monuments (Sites and Monuments Record, National Monuments Service) - CL016-155: Enclosure, https://heritagedata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=0c9eb9575b544081b0d296436d8f60f8&query=18a4b61b268-layer-9%2CSMRS%2CCL016-155----. Near the S edge of a plateau in rough pasture surrounded by coniferous tree plantations. A roughly rectangular enclosure (c. 26m NNE-SSW; c. 23m WNW-ESE) is visible in the NW corner of a field on black and white aerial imagery dated 1995 (Osi MapGenie Imagery). On inspection a D-shaped area (int. dims. 26.8m N-S; 23.9m E-W) defined by a bank at E (Wth 2.3m; int. H 0.1m; ext. H 0.3m) and a slight scarp at S (H 0.1m) was visible, surrounded by a fosse (Wth 2.5-2.7) overgrown with rushes and reeds. Compiled by: Olive Alcock and Lynda McCormack Date of upload: 5 August 2022 - CL017-109: Enclosure, https://heritagedata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=0c9eb9575b544081b0d296436d8f60f8&query=18a4b61b268-layer-9%2CSMRS%2CCL017-109----. On a knoll in pasture, overlooking the Craggaunboy River c. 70m to the S and a slight depression to the N. Hachured on both the first (1842) and Cassini (1920) editions of the OS 6-inch map. This subcircular enclosure (53.5m N-S; 49m E-W) is defined by a largely overgrown scarp (H 0.4-0.8m). The E edge may have been pushed in toward the enclosure’s centre as large boulders and spoil heaps are visible along here, and the scarp looks slightly truncated. There is a modern entrance gap (Wth 6m) at ENE and the interior is covered in grass and some blackthorn growth. Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy and Conn Herriott Date of upload: 16-10-2025 - CL017-110: Castle - tower house, https://heritagedata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=0c9eb9575b544081b0d296436d8f60f8&query=18a4b61b268-layer-9%2CSMRS%2CCL017-110----. In a bawn (CL017-110002-), on a raised rock outcrop ridge (H c. 20m over E-SE; H 3m over W), at the E-foot of Clifden Hill, with Lough Teervicbran (a.k.a. ‘Molly Blood’s Lough’ - Macnamara 1901, 205) c. 85m to the SE and the early 19th-century ‘Adelphi House’ (NIAH reg. no. 20401712) c. 75m to the NE. Indicated and named ‘Castle’ on the first edition (1842) of the OS 6-inch map. Drawn and named ‘Teervicbran Castle (in Ruins)’ on the OS 25-inch plan (1897) and Cassini edition (1920) of the OS 6-inch map. Dated to the mid-/late 16th century on architectural evidence (Ua Cróinín and Breen 1997). Built on lands already owned before 1512 by Domhnall son of Tadhg an Chomhaid O’Brien (Ua Cróinín and Breen 1994, 25). After the Cromwellian Settlement (1650s) the castle passed to the O’Brien earl of Inchiquin, who leased it to Garrett Fitzmaurice, a transplanted Catholic. However, it appears unlikely that Fitzmaurice ever lived in the castle as it was probably slighted by the Cromwellian commission in 1655 (ibid. 25-26). The lands and a mill were sold to the Hollow Blade Company in 1703 (ibid. 26). The Hollow Sword Blades Company was founded in 1691 for the manufacture of hollow ground rapiers, a popular weapon in England at that time. Only the SW half of this rectangular tower house (L 8.15m NW-SE; Wth 5.45m NE-SW) of five floors survives, standing almost to its original height (extant; H c. 15m) with the NW wall against a cliff and land to the SE sloping severely (ibid. 26; Ua Cróinín and Breen 1997). The NE half of the tower house is marked by a rubble mound (c. 12m NE-SW; H 2-3m). Macnamara (1901, 206) noted the straight edges of the upstanding walls at the point where the NE section collapsed, suggesting that the two halves of the tower house were not built at the same time, and were not sufficiently bonded together. There is a slight base-batter on the upstanding, ivy-covered walls (Wth 1.15-1.45m), which are built of uncoursed rubble with cut quoinstones (Ua Cróinín and Breen 1997). On the SE side of the tower house (facing the bawn entrance) is a pointed doorway (H 1.69m; Wth 1.12m) with punch-dressing on the doorframe, and a hood-moulding on the outside. There is a yett-hole and a long bar-hole (or perhaps a shot-hole (ibid.)) in the S door jamb. To the S of the doorway is a rectangular window (Wth 0.15m; H 0.61m) with a chamfered edge and a lintelled embrasure. There is another window in the NW wall, also in a lintelled embrasure. On the inner face of the SW wall are two cupboards, one at either end. Above these are corbels for supporting the first floor above. The ground floor walls are plastered internally. On the SE wall of the first floor is a two-light window with a square hood-moulding. A window in the NW wall has been narrowed to create two gun loops, one facing W and the other N. Both windows’ embrasures are lintelled. The first floor is also plastered on the interior, and there is a cupboard at the SE end of the SW wall. At the top of this wall are three corbels (originally five) to support the second floor above. The second floor is very similar to the first, with a two-light window in the SE wall, and a window in the NW wall also narrowed to two gun loops, with the masonry here incorporating some brick. There is a fireplace in the SW wall which has been robbed out except for its E jamb. There are four corbels on the SW wall. The third floor above is very similar in all respects, except that it has no fireplace. On the fourth floor there are only three corbels on the SW wall, with the gable above set back from the inner wall-face. On this floor there is a two-light rectangular window with square hood-moulding in the NW wall and a window in the SE wall has hammer-dressed stonework. Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy and Conn Herriott Date of upload: 16-10-2025 - CL017-110002: Bawn, https://heritagedata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=0c9eb9575b544081b0d296436d8f60f8&query=18a4b61b268-layer-9%2CSMRS%2CCL017-110002-. Enclosing Teervicbran Castle, a tower house (CL017-110----), on a raised rock outcrop ridge (H c. 20m over E-SE; H 3m over W), at the E-foot of Clifden Hill, with Lough Teervicbran (a.k.a. ‘Molly Blood’s Lough’ - Macnamara 1901, 205) c. 85m to the SE and the early 19th-century ‘Adelphi House’ (NIAH reg. no. 20401712) c. 75m to the NE. Partly indicated on both the first (1842) and Cassini (1920) editions of the OS 6-inch map. This sub-triangular bawn (L 55m NE-SW; max. Wth 20m NW-SE) is defined by a collapsed and robbed-out wall which is entirely overlaid by a crenellated modern wall (probably 19th century) with a pointed gateway at the NE end. This gateway leads to a masonry wall-lined pathway (Wth 1.5m) on a very narrow outcrop ridge with severe drops on either side but there is no indication that this path was part of the original access to the bawn. The bawn entrance is at the SE, from where a ramp through the rock outcrop leads out of the bawn, to a ledge (Wth 3m) that runs SW and then NW around and c. 3m below the rock outcrop. This ledge extends NW as far as a lane which runs outside the bawn’s NW wall. The bawn interior comprises tree-covered rock outcrop and the tower house (CL017-110----) is situated against the bawn’s W side, with a rubble mound (c. 12m NE-SW; H 2-3m) immediately to the NE. Nineteenth-century paths run around the edges of the bawn near this mound. Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy and Conn Herriott Date of upload: 16-10-2025 Works at or in relation to a recorded monument need two months' written notice to the National Monuments Service (National Monuments (Amendment) Act 1994, section 12). ## Architectural heritage (National Inventory of Architectural Heritage) - Clifden House, country house, 1780–1820, Regional interest, registry number 20401710, https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&county=CL®no=20401710. Detached seven-bay two-storey over basement country house, built c. 1800. Hipped artificial slate roof with cut-stone chimneystacks. Lime rendered walls with blind niche over entrance. Timber sliding sash windows. Carved limestone doorcase comprising engaged Tuscan columns flanking moulded architrave and timber panelled door, having entablature with rosettes above. Retaining interior features. Attached eight-bay single-storey stable range with half-dormer attic to right, now in use as house. Detached two-bay three-storey gable-fronted former mill to site, now in ruins. Cast-iron piers with wrought-iron gates to site. - Adelphi, house, 1800–1820, Regional interest, registry number 20401712, https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&county=CL®no=20401712. Detached five-bay single-storey over part-raised basement house, built c. 1810, with three-bay recessed central block having tripartite window openings and single-bay advanced end bays having relieving arches. L-plan two-bay two-storey return to rear. Hipped artificial slate roof with four diagonally placed chimneystacks and deep eaves with exposed timber rafters. Roughcast rendered walls. Slate hanging to west walls. Glass lens set in wall beside front door step allowing view up from basement. Timber pilasters and cornice to timber panelled door with overlight. Diamond pane cast-iron windows set in cut-stone frames. Tripartite windows flanking door. Bow window to right side elevation. Retaining interior shutters. Detached two-bay single-storey gable-fronted rubble stone-built coach house to site. Cut-stone gate piers with cast-iron gates to site. ## Ground and risks (Radon Risk Map of Ireland, EPA; Landslide Susceptibility Classification and LiDAR, Geological Survey Ireland) - Radon: at the centre of the townland of Clifden, about 1 in 10 homes in this area is likely to have high radon levels. Testing a home: https://www.epa.ie/environment-and-you/radon/radon-testing/#d.en.82887 - Landslides: The 1:50,000 map rates the landslide susceptibility here as high, moderately high, moderately low, low, partly inferred. Parts of the land are water. - Terrain model: no LiDAR survey of the Office of Public Works covers the centre of the townland of Clifden. - Flooding: the flood maps of the Office of Public Works, https://www.floodinfo.ie/map/floodmaps/, linked only: their licence does not allow re-use. LiDAR: contains Irish Public Sector Data (Geological Survey Ireland & the Office of Public Works) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence. ## Downloads - DXF, in Irish Transverse Mercator metres, with its boundary, parcels and buildings, for a drawing program: https://everytownland.com/clare/clifden.dxf - GeoJSON, in WGS 84, for a map: https://everytownland.com/clare/clifden.geojson - KML, for Google Earth: https://everytownland.com/clare/clifden.kml ## Homes sold (Residential Property Price Register) No address of the register names Clifden with five sales or more. The sales of the area are on the page of Co. Clare: https://everytownland.com/clare.md ## Neighbouring townlands (National Statutory Boundaries, Tailte Éireann) - Applevale: https://everytownland.com/clare/applevale.md - Baunkyle: https://everytownland.com/clare/baunkyle.md - Carrownagarraun: https://everytownland.com/clare/carrownagarraun.md - Curraghkeel: https://everytownland.com/clare/curraghkeel.md - Inchiquin: https://everytownland.com/clare/inchiquin.md - Knocknareeha: https://everytownland.com/clare/knocknareeha.md - Nooan: https://everytownland.com/clare/nooan-31951.md - Roxton: https://everytownland.com/clare/roxton.md A townland is the smallest land division of Ireland, and the unit of a rural address; old registers such as the 1901 and 1911 censuses file it under its civil parish and barony. --- Everytownland reads the registered freehold land and the statutory boundaries of Tailte Éireann, the national zoning, planning file and heritage records of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and the Residential Property Price Register. A parcel is the land of a title, not an address. The owner's name is in the Land Registry of Tailte Éireann: a copy of the folio can be ordered on landdirect.ie, for a fee; this site names no owner. A price is the price recorded for a past sale, not a valuation. Sources: Cadastral Parcels Freehold, Townlands, Civil Parishes, Baronies, Electoral Divisions and Buildings, Tailte Éireann, CC BY 4.0; national zoning of development plans (GZT, MyPlan) and National Planning Applications, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0, applicants not shown; designated sites, National Parks and Wildlife Service, CC BY 4.0; Sites and Monuments Record, National Monuments Service, CC BY 4.0; National Inventory of Architectural Heritage, CC BY 4.0; Residential Property Price Register, Property Services Regulatory Authority, re-used with the source acknowledged. - Page: https://everytownland.com/clare/clifden - In JSON: https://everytownland.com/api/townland/clare/clifden