Ballyvaughan

The site was originally occupied by Ballyvaughan Castle, which stood right at the edge of the harbour. It was owned and occupied by the O'Loghlen family, except for a period in the 16th century when the O'Brians held it. In 1540, a stolen cow was found at the castle, and heavy fines were levied on the O'Loghlens—loss of cattle, goats, sheep and the town of Ballyvaughan. In 1569 the castle was attacked by Sir Henry Sidney, but the O'Loghlens held on to the property. By 1840, the castle was in ruins. Only the foundations remain today. Three older piers had been built by the villagers, who used them for herring fishing. By 1831, turf from Connemara was landed here in great quantities, despite the shallowness of the bay. At that point, the town had 23 houses and 151 inhabitants. In 1837, to facilitate the turf trade, another quay was constructed, apparently also based on a design of Nimmo's. By 1841 the village had grown to 235 inhabitants and 35 houses. The new quay was of great importance, as it allowed Ballyvaughan to export grain, bacon and vegetables and to import supplies from Galway. For a while, Ballyvaughan was the official capital of this region of Clare, sporting a workhouse, coastguard station and large police barracks. Over time, as the roads improved and the piers fell into disrepair, the town lost its importance as a fishing harbour. More construction took place in the 1850s: in 1854, the old National School opened, and the present Roman Catholic church was built around 1860. There was also a Church of Ireland, but when this later closed, it was dismantled and re-erected at Noughaval. In 1943, it was rededicated, and it is now in use as a Catholic place of worship (St. Mochua) there. By 1991, this had dropped to 184. ==Economy==

Today, Ballyvaughan's economy is mainly based on tourism. Its position on the coast road between Galway and the Cliffs of Moher brings significant pass-through tourism business. Ballyvaughan has numerous pubs, restaurants, shops, B&Bs, self-catering cottages and other amenities. These include the new pier and slipway, constructed in 2006, which has opened up the area to boating, fishing, scuba diving and other maritime activities. Ballyvaughan is on the Burren Way, a long-distance walking trail. A previous landmark in the village was the Ballyvaughan signpost. Tourism Ireland long used pictures of the signposts, at the T-junction in the center of the village, to market Ireland internationally. The signpost featured a number of colourful signs, many of which had been installed by private enterprises. Those were removed by the National Roads Authority in June 2011, causing an outcry from some residents. ==Places of interest==

• The Burren: Each year botanists and naturalists roam this karst landscape in search of Arctic, Alpine and Mediterranean plants that grow profusely over the limestone pavements. The Burren is renowned for its archaeology. Ballyvaughan is near numerous megalithic tombs such as Poulnabrone dolmen, south of Ballyvaughan, ring forts such as Caherconnell Stone Fort, Ballyallaban ringfort or Cahermore ringfort as well as medieval churches and castles/tower houses, such as at Gleninagh. • 3.5 km to the south is the Aillwee Cave, a show cave over long. • Beside the Aillwee Caves, just 400 metres north of the upper car-park is the novice rock-climbing location of Aill na Cronain. • For trained cave explorers, there is the Pollnagollum, Faunarooska, and the Cullaun series. • The Burren College of Art is outside Ballyvaughan at Newtown Castle. ==Notable people==

• Liam Jegou, Olympic canoeist • Daithí Ó Drónaí, electronic music producer • Sarah Poyntz, writer • Mary Ann Nevins Radzinowicz, academic ==See also==