The story
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In 1911, Hulk Street held a forge, a solicitor’s office, three stables and four turf houses. According to the census that year, one hundred and forty-five people lived here across thirty-four occupied houses. This L-shaped lane of about one hundred and ninety metres connects Bridge Street to Market Street, part of what the county council calls the historic core of the town.
No record exists explaining why the lane was named Hulk Street. The street runs along the showgrounds of the Connemara Pony Breeders' Society. The society was founded in 1923, and its annual show has been a fixture of Clifden on the third Thursday of August since 1947. You are standing beside the Dún Rí guesthouse, which was purpose-built and has been run by the King family since 1996. From its windows, you can see the showgrounds and the Owenglin River.
The river is crossed by a bridge erected around 1819 by John D'Arcy, who founded Clifden in 1812. Near the end of this street was the terminus of the Galway–Clifden railway, which operated from 1895 to 1935. As you reach the corner by the old Station House, look for the original engine house, which has been converted into a museum.
That was Hulk Street, Clifden, Ireland. Avsha tells a story like this about wherever you are — any street, in your language.
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