Local Essentials
The practical stuff most travel sites skip. Everything you need to know before visiting Clifden, from parking to pharmacies.
Emergency Services
General Emergency
112 or 999
Coast Guard
112 or 999, ask for the Coast Guard. The Connemara coast from Cleggan round to Ballyconneely is Coast Guard territory, and the Twelve Bens and Diamond Hill are covered by mountain rescue. Dial 112 or 999 and ask for the Coast Guard or Mountain Rescue rather than contacting a local unit directly.
Garda Station
Clifden Garda Station, Galway Road, Clifden, Co. Galway, H71 VY17, +353 95 22500.
University Hospital Galway (UHG), Newcastle Road, Galway, H91 YR71, is about 77 km east of Clifden on the N59, and the drive takes 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes in normal conditions. It is the nearest 24-hour Emergency Department and it treats all ages. The N59 is single carriageway the whole way and slows considerably in summer traffic, fog or heavy rain, so plan on the longer figure. Clifden District Hospital is a community hospital and has no emergency department.
+353 91 544 556Clifden Medical Practice
Westport Road, Clifden, Co. Galway, H71 TX62
+353 95 21224Private GP practice, by appointment. Not an emergency department.
A long-established GP practice on the Westport Road. For out-of-hours urgent GP care when surgeries are closed, Westdoc is the regional service on 0818 360 000 (phone first). The HSE Clifden Health Centre is on Hospital Road. The nearest 24-hour Emergency Department is at University Hospital Galway, around 80km east via the N59, roughly a 90-minute drive.
There is no injury unit anywhere in Connemara or in Galway city, so even a broken bone means the Emergency Department at University Hospital Galway. Attending an Emergency Department costs €100 without a medical card or GP referral. When GP surgeries are closed, Westdoc runs the out-of-hours urgent GP service for north Connemara from Clifden Health Centre, Hospital Road, Clifden, H71 XP84, on 0818 360 000 (phone first, appointment only, not walk-in): weeknights from 6pm to 8am, and 24 hours at weekends and on public holidays. Mobile coverage is patchy across the Twelve Bens and the bog roads, so tell someone your route before you set out.
Pharmacies
Moran's totalhealth Pharmacy
Main Street, Clifden, Connemara, Co. Galway, H71 FK63
The main pharmacy in Clifden town, on Main Street. Confirm current hours on the day; in a medical emergency dial 112 or 999.