BEACHES:
MIZEN HEAD:
CAPE CLEAR:
History: back to top
One of these towns is Clonakilty.
Clonakilty town was founded in 1588 by Sir Richard Boyle as an English outpost in Gaelic territory. A visit to Clonakilty Museum will supply a glimpse of the town's colourful history. The Museum is situated in the Old Methodist National School at the Western Road. Displays include the Corporation Minute Book of 1675, industrial history, a specially re-created classroom, the West Cork railway, local brewing, GAA history, local lace and crochet.
Beaches : back to top
Inchydoney Strand (Inis an Duine), formally a sandy island, is now a stretch of panoramic unspoiled beaches divided by a promontory, offering excellent swimming and sunning facilities. Other nearby beaches include Duneen, Sandscove, Red Strand, Long Strand, Owenahincha, and many more. Leisure craft and wind-surfing equipment are available for hire locally.
Mizen Head: back to top
Mizen Head peninsula begins at the Mizen Head Lighthouse which was taken over in 1994 by the local community
Coming in to Schull from the sea, the first sight of the safety of the harbour is this view showing the Long Island Beacon
4 miles from Skibbereen is Lough Ine. The only inland sea lake of its kind in Europe. Famous for its crystal clear water and unique marine life.
The Michael Collins Memorial at Sam's Cross, 4.5 Km from Clonakilty, stands in memory to a great patriot, soldier and statesman of the 1916-22 period, born in nearby Woodfield in 1890. The memorial is the work of the late Cork sculptor Seamus Murphy, and was unveiled by Tom Barry, another maverick hero of those troubled times.
Ireland's southernmost inhabited island, 3 miles long by 1 mile wide, lies 8 miles off the coast of West Cork. 3 miles west of the island stands the solitary Fastnet Rock. To the northwest stretches the Mizen Head, the mainland's southerly point.
Cape's wild romantic scenery, its sparkling harbours, its cliffs and bogs and lake, all contribute to the island's unspoilt charm. Heather, gorse and wild flowers cover the rugged hills. Myriad stonewalls have a patchwork effect on the varied landscape. Megalithic standing stones and a 5000 year-old passage grave, a 12th century church ruin, a 14th century O'Driscoll castle, cannonaded in the early 1600's, suggest times past.
Cape's remote island location, coupled with its proximity to the continental shelf, makes it the foremost centre for birdwatching in Ireland. Whale, leatherback turtle, sun fish and shark are spotted every year, dolphins regularly. Most of the 150 inhabitants speak Irish and English. Removed from the hustle and bustle of mainland life,
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