For over 100 years a public house run by members of the King family has dominated the corner of Clifden's Main Street and Market Street.
In the 1830's John King ran the pub and a general merchants store out of the same premises, with himself and his family living above the shop. Eventually, John's grandson Edward Joseph took over the running of the public house, and the name has remained as E J Kings to this day.
Edward Joseph King, better known as E J, was a well-known figure in Connemara. As Chairman of the District Council he was active in local politics and supported the Irish Party.
An entrepreneur, E J was always on the look out for a gap in the market. He found such a gap with the advent of the motor car, by becoming the first local businessman to install petrol pumps on the town's streets.
E J married Mary Beatrice (Bay) Casey, who ran a drapery shop next door to the pub. Once again E J's business talent shone, when together with Bay and her brother Joseph, the local Dispensing Doctor, the three formed the Clifden Electric Light Power Works, the company responsible in 1925 for bringing electricity to Clifden.
As the capital of Connemara, Clifden, or An Cloch‡n, attracts thousands of visitors all year round. The market town enjoys a unique location, lying at the foot of the Twelve Bens Mountains and alongside the Atlantic Ocean.
A magnet for writers, artists, film-makers and naturalists, Clifden also enjoys an international reputation for excellent food, drink and good cheer.
E J Kings is superbly positioned at Eddie King's corner to oversee life's hustle and bustle; and indeed many visitors to the pub love to sit outside, enjoying the pub's very popular seafood menu.
Inside, visitors can relax in the informal atmosphere of this beautifully restored pub & restaurant, sampling the finest of local produce, and listening to the best in traditional Irish music.
