The town of Clifden, Ireland is located on the Owenglin River and is Connemara’s largest city. Since the 1800’s eyewitnesses have reported sightings of a large eel like creature, with a head that resembles a horse and a body that tapers off like that of an eels, that lived in the rivers and lakes around Clifden. It is because of these supposed physical characteristics that the creature became known as the Clifden Water Horse.

One theory suggests that the Clifden Water Horse may actually be the elusive “horse eel” that some believe inhabits the waters of Lough Auna and Lough Shanakeever, two glacial valley lakes located north of Clifden. One alleged sighting of the horse eel in Lough Shanakeever from 1963 describes the creature as a large grayish hump, about 7 or 8 feet in length and roughly 2 feet in height. The horse eel’s very existence has been the subject of much debate for many years and even lead to an investigation by the Loch Ness Investigation Bureau in 1968.

In 2004, a five man Japanese film crew traveled to the Clifden area as part of a documentary they where producing about lake monsters in Ireland for the Japanese version of the Discovery Channel. The team theorized that there could be as many as three undiscovered species of animals living in the lakes around Clifden. It is currently believed that these unknown animals are most comfortable in water but can also move across land, allowing them to migrate over the boggy areas which surround the lakes of Clifden.

The Evidence
To date no physical evidence has been discovered to prove that the Clifden Water Horse is, or ever was a real creature.

The Sightings
No documented sightings of the Clifden Water Horse could be found at this time.

The Stats– (Where applicable)

• Classification: Lake Monster
• Size: 6 to 8 feet in length
• Weight: Unknown
• Diet: Unknown
• Location: Ireland
• Movement: Unknown
• Environment: Glacial Lakes in the Clifden Area.