Information about Clifden Racecourse

Information from O'Donovan's Field Name Books

Standard Name:
Clifden Racecourse
Irish Form of Name:
Clochán
Translation:
[Clifden means] a ford or stepping stones in a ford
Civil Parish:
Other Forms of the Name with authority source (if provided) in italics:
Clifden Racecourse Inhabitants
Description:
This race course which is almost circular is about ¼ mile in diameter, the breadth of the course is 40 feet. It is in a valley in the centre of a bog. There has been no gathering in it since 1820.
Situation:
Situated in the centre of Clifden townland and N. of same town.

Townland Information

What is a townland?:
A townland is one of the smallest land divisions in Ireland. They range in size from a few acres to thousands of acres. Many are Gaelic in origin, but some came into existence after the Norman invasion of 1169
Townland:
Clifden Racecourse is in Clifden townland.

Information From Maps

Original OS maps at the Ordnance Survey of Ireland website.
(Click on place name to view original map in new window.)
This link is not a link to the townland that you are currently researching; however, if you follow this link, you will see a search box near the top of the page which you can use to search for your townland.
Having followed this link, you will see several expandable links - each link has a plus sign on its left - on the top left of the page. Expand 'Base Information and Mapping'. Now it is possible to select the maps that you wish to view by clicking on the checkbox that is on the left of each map; this list includes the original Ordnance Survey maps.
You can select more than one map and you can use a slider to make one map more transparent than another. This allows you to view what features were present or absent at different points in time.
(This map will display in a new window.)
Clifden Racecourse
Information from the National Monuments Service.
(This information will display in a new window.):
You can use this link to view a map of archaelogical features.
This link brings you to a website wherein you will have to search for your townland.
Archaeological map from the National Monuments Service