History of Ballyvaughan

On the promontory on which the castle was situated (and on which the Irish Cottage scheme is today located) there were also other late medieval dwellings. According to Westropp's survey of Clare antiquities, the area contained "three small forts and a much levelled ring of a great Caher".

The present village grew around the harbour in the 19th century, when it temporarily was a thriving port. Three older piers had been built by the villagers, who used them for herring fishing. However, these piers were almost unusable at high tide and in 1829 the Fishery Board had a new quay constructed. This was designed by Alexander Nimmo. 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,