Old School House, Clifden

Located in the heart of Clifden Town Centre with bars restaurants, cafes and all shops within walking distance The former Church of Ireland School House was built by the founder of Clifden, John D’Arcy, in around 1815 and was the town’s first school. As such this is one of Clifden’s listed buildings and many of the original features remain, including the large stone fireplace, the exposed stone walls, old pine floors, doors and the original pine staircase. Clifden is a lively and friendly town with excellent restaurants, authentic pubs and nice shops. It’s a 1-minute walk down to the high street. This is an excellent base for touring the Connemara, a gorgeous and haunting area. There’s much to see and do here. There’s golf, of course. The beaches are beautiful, empty and clean. At every turn, you’ll see glorious scenery. There are Irish craft shops, many ancient Celtic sites and opportunities to ramble in the Twelve Bens. Layout The ground floor’s open plan allows one to take in the scope of the public rooms upon first crossing over the threshold. The atmosphere is very comfortable and casual. In the sitting room, large stone arched palladium windows allow plenty of light and the fireplace adds visual and actual warmth. This is a perfect room for entertaining or just sitting quietly with a book. There is a TV and DVD player. The galley kitchen is to the right of the entryway and although not huge, it is a cook’s kitchen with everything close at hand and equipped with all you should need. The adjacent dining area seats 8 comfortably at an old refectory pine table. There is a small utility room that houses a clothes washing machine and a separate dryer. All four bedrooms are en suite (with W.C. and with shower/shower-over-bath). Two of the bedrooms are on the main/ground floor. One is off the front entrance hall with a 4ft6”/1.37m double bed, very nice appointments and a cute little stone ensuite with shower. The other bedroom, which has a double bed with an ensuite shower-over-bath, is at the back of the house, beyond the living room. There are two staircases, one on either side of the house. The original pine staircase, near the dining area, leads up to the open balcony sitting area which overlooks the living room. The spiral staircase, located just at the front entryway, leads directly to one of the upstairs bedrooms, a spacious room with stone walls a king-size bed (2m) and an extra double bed of 1.37m. This room is ensuite with a shower. The other upstairs bedroom is on the opposite side of the balcony sitting area and accessed via the pine stairs. It has a 5ft/ 1.52m bed with a spacious ensuite with shower-over-bath and also has an extra double bed. All the bedrooms overlook a nice grassy area behind the house. The back lawn area is not level and does not have a patio. You can eat casual meals in a designated area at the side or at the front of the house where there is a picnic table/bench and outdoor chairs. It’s fun to look down onto the town from this perch. Utilities are metered upon arrival & departure. €75 is included in the rental rate. If the utilities exceed this limit oil is charged at €20 per inch & electricity is €0.20c per unit. Payable upon departure. Linen & Towels are included in the rental rate. Free Wifi Check-in time is from 4 pm onwards  (If you require a later check-in time please let us know) Check-out time is at 10 am on the day of departure. Please note that this holiday home is not suitable for toddlers. No pets, no power showers, creaky stairs, and old floorboards, Not a traditional house, but full of character & charm and a great location at the top of the town. Great for coming and going to bars and restaurants