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Aran Lodge 

Aran Lodge, the "Award winning Guest-house/Bed & Breakfast on the Glengarriff road (N71) just outside Bantry, where the river meets the ocean at beautiful Ballylickey" run by Deidre and Joe O'Connell.

Avaul

Upper Lough Avaul is half a mile beyond Lower Lough Avaul which can be found two miles south-west of Glengarriff. See Loughs

Allihies

Allihies, situated 12 miles west of Castletownbere, on the Ring of Beara Route, is a region of unspoiled natural beauty. Glacial and volcanic movement played their part in the formation of this most rugged, most unusual and yet most beautiful landscape  more
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Ballylickey

Ballylickey (meaning "Ford-mouth of the flagstones") is located on one of the most beautiful stretches of coastal scenery at the head of Bantry Bay , on the N71 in-between Bantry and Glengarriff. Ballylickey provides stunning views of the sea and the mountains and easy access to the whole Bantry region and to the Beara Peninsula. There is also river and lake angling, deep sea and inshore boats for hire, golf , mountain and forest walks.

Bantry

Bantry (meaning "descendants of Beann" an early Irish Chieftain, presiding in West Cork - and Son of the then King Of Ireland) is situated beneath sheltering hills at the head of famous Bantry Bay, one of the most beautiful bays along the Irish Coast. In 1796, violent storms prevented a French fleet landing in Bantry to join the United Irishmen's rebellion, as recorded in the Armada Centre at Bantry House.
The Bantry Girl

As I was going to Bantry, on a market day
I met a Bantry girl treading along the way
Her business was to market with butter, milk and cheese
And we jogged along quite merry, me lads, sing fol-de-diddly-dee.

We sang along quite merry, me lads, together side by side
Till this Bantry lass, her garter came untied
For fear that she should lose it, she unto me did say
Oh, my garter is untied, me lads, sing fol-de-diddly-day.

I took her to the undergrowth, the grass grew very high
I put this lassie on her back, her garter for to tie
With the tying of her garter, such sights I never did see
And we jogged along quite merry, me lads, sing fol-de-diddly-dee.

Oh, since you’ve had your will of me, pray tell me what’s your name?
What’s your occupation, and whence and where you came?
My name is Jack the Rover, I live in the town of Ardee
And I live at the signs of the ups and downs, sing fol-de-diddly-dee.

Well, this lassie missed her market, her butter was unsold
But with the losing of her maidenhead, it grieved her heart more sore
He’s gone, he’s gone, he’s gone, she said, he’s not the lad for me
And he lives at the signs of the ups and downs, sing fol-de-diddly-dee.

http://www.joeheaney.org/default.asp?contentID=698

Bantry Girl's Lament Following ‘the Flight of the Earls’, of the Gaelic aristocracy into exile on mainland Europe in 1607, many Irish fought in the armies of France and Spain and further afield. However increasingly Irish people fought in the British forces in whatever wars England was fighting.

Bantry Girl's Lament tells of the death of a young man from Bantry, in the British forces during the Peninsular/Napoleonic wars:

Who will plow the field now, and who will sow the corn
Who will wash the sheep now, and keep them neatly shorn
The stack that's in the haggard, un-touched it may re-main
Since Johnny went a-thrashing all in the wars of Spain

CHORUS:

Johnny, lovely Johnny, he's sailing o'er the main
A-long with other patriots, to fight the King of Spain

And the girls from the bawn-oag in sorrow may re-tire
The piper and his bellows, (may) go home and blow the fire
At fairs and hurling matches, your likes we seldom see
Till you come home a-gain to us, a-storeen oag mo cree

And a cruel fate will not permit our Johnny to re-turn
His heavy loss, we Bantry girls will never cease to mourn
We re-sign ourselves to our sad lot, and die in grief and pain
Johnny died for freedom's sake in the foreign lands of Spain

NOTES:
- Gaelic phrases are spelled phonetically
- Haggard: a threshing yard
- Ba/no/g: a green patch of ground (Ireland?)
- Mi/an fhomhair: harvest month
- Asto/iri/n o/g mo chroi: little young treasure of my heart
Buses see Transport

Barley Cove

Located near Mizen Head, Ireland's most south-westerly point, Barley Cove proudly boasts the highest sunshine and lowest rainfall averages in the country.
Ballydehob Ballydehob (meaning "the ford at the mouth of two rivers") is a very colourful little village and is the home to many artists and craft shops.

Bandon

 

A busy market town in a fertile agricultural district, straddling the Bandon River. It is also a well-known angling centre. It was established by the great Earl of Cork, Richard Boyle, who acquired vast estates in Munster in 1608, having arrived from England with no more than twenty pounds, a diamond ring, a gold bracelet and his clothes.

Ring of Beara

The Ring of Beara is a scenic driving coastal route where visitors in the Beara Peninsula can start their of journey of discovery. The finger like peninsula that projects into the Atlantic sea stretches from Glengarriff to Dursey Sound and from Dursey Sound to Kenmare encompassing picturesque villages and towns, enchanting islands, unspoilt and unique scenery and historical antiquities. more

Bere Island

 
Bere Island lies one mile offshore from the fishing port of Castletownbere, the deep yet sheltered stretch of water between the island and the mainland forming the spacious natural harbour of Berehaven. It is approximately 7 x 3 miles and has a population of 210. Bere Island has so much to offer it has to be seen to be believed. A must for a day trip visitor to see is the Martello Tower situated on Ardagh Hill, The Old Lighthouse, The Batteries and for those of you who might enjoy a stroll there’s the Beara Way Walk and a new cycling route which is guaranteed to take your breath away with the panoramic views of the island, Bantry Bay and the Slieve Miskish Mountains. more

Blarney

Blarney Castle, and the magic Blarney Stone with its traditional power of conferring eloquence on those who kiss it, are world famous. Blarney together with Killarney are probably the most visited areas of Ireland outside of Dublin. The town and its environs attract many visitors.

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Clonakilty

Clonakilty (meaning "the stone or castle of the woods") is a  busy market town located near to several popular seaside resorts such as Inchadoney and Owenahincha. From Clonakilty westward' the coast becomes bolder and more rugged, the sea carving deep inlets and bays as it rolls in from the Atlantic.
Cóbh Cóbh  is a small, picturesque town. It was once the port for Cork City and was prominent for many years. Once called Queenstown, Cóbh was used during the Napoleonic Wars as an assembly point for ships, and it was also an important departure port for America and Australia. In 1838, the first-ever steamer to cross the Atlantic sailed from Cóbh. The Titanic also stopped at the port in 1912 before setting off on its tragic journey.

Co. Cork

 
County Cork is the largest in Ireland. The major towns in the county are Cork city, Mallow, Mitchelstown, Youghal, Kanturk, Cobh, Fermoy, Kinsale, Clonakilty, Skibbereen, Bantry, and Bandon. Before the establishment of the county system, the area of the present county was divided between the territories of Desmond, Muskerry, and Corca Laoidhe. The major Gaelic families in the county were McCarthy, O'Keefe, Murphy, O'Mahony, O'Callaghan, O'Donovan, O'Driscoll, and O'Riordan. In the Great famine of 1845-47, County Cork was one of the most severely affected areas. The population which peaked at 854,000 in 1841 had fallen to 650,000 in 1851. Almost 150,000 people died between 1845 and 1850 and thousands emigrated. The population is currently about 404,000.
Cork City Cork (meaning "Marsh land), Ireland's second largest city, is excellently situated for exploring the Cork coast and river valleys-and indeed the whole of south-west Ireland. Cork is a place of commercial importance, largely due to the excellence of its harbour. It is an export centre for the agricultural produce of the south, and the many industries in the city include brewing, distilling, hosiery, flour milling, bacon curing, chemical and paint works, clothing and footwear factories.
Coomhola  The nearby Coomhola River flows into Bantry Bay. See Rivers
Castletownbere  Castletownbere (aka Castletown Berehaven,  meaning "the town of the Bere's castle" - Dunboy Castle, was home to the O'Sullivan-Bere family) "is the principle town on the Beara peninsula. It is the largest whitefish port in Ireland. Berehaven being the second largest natural harbour in the world, it is a safe anchorage for yachts and is ideal for water-sports, from sea angling to windsurfing.
Craic (pronounced "Crack") Craic is a term for fun, entertainment, and enjoyable conversation, particularly prominent in Ireland. It is often used with the definite article – the craic. The word has an unusual history; the form craic was borrowed into Irish from the English crack in the mid-20th century, and the Irish spelling was then reborrowed into English.An older, related, more widespread, sense of crack is "joke", as in crack a joke or wise-crack. Another sense of crack, found in the north of England, is "news, gossip", which influences the common Irish expression "What's the crack?" or "How's the crack?", meaning "how are you?", "how have you been?", or "have you any news?" Now, craic is interpreted as a specifically and quintessentially Irish form of fun.

Crookhaven

The remote and sleepy fishing village of Crookhaven (meaning "Haven of the Round Hill") is on a long hooked peninsula enclosing a harbour that opens eastward, and which used to be the last port of call for ships journeying to and from America . In 1901, Guglielmo Marconi (1874 -  1937) came here to try to send his first radio message across the Atlantic and he fitted the first telegraphic equipment to the Fastnet Rock Lighthouse to communicate with the passing ships.

Cycling

The Beara Gougane Barra Cycling Routeis one of the National Cycling Routes and starts in Cork City and passes through Dripsey, Coachford, Carrigadrohid and on to Inchigeela. At Inchigeela one leg brings you on to Gougane Barra and the other leg brings you on to Keakill and on to Ballylickey. At Ballylickey you have the choice of taking the Sheep's Head Cycling Route or carry on to the Beara Peninsula and join with the Beara Way Cycling Route, which circles the whole of the Beara Peninsula.  more

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Castle
Donovan

Castle Donovan stands 12km east of Bantry, between Bantry and Dunmanway. It was the principal seat of the O'Donovan Clan. It was built in the year 1560 by Donal O'Donovan. more

Dursey Island

Dursey Island is located about an hour's drive west of Glengarriff land is the most westerly of West Cork's inhabited islands . With only twelve or so permanent winter time residents, the island is described as one of the quietest of the area with no pubs, shops or restaurants to be found. The island is famous for it's magnificent selection of bird species and is a birdwatchers' heaven.

Directions

more

Durrus

The little village of Durrus (meaning "Black wood") nestles in the foothills of wooded Bally Commanel and  is among the most beautiful spots in the region, with beautiful views overlooking the Sheeps Head peninsula.

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Eyeries

Eyeries (meaning "Rising ground)  is a pleasant village near the mouth of the Kenmare River, overlooking Coulagh Bay. See Filmed around Bantry below.
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Famine The Irish Famine of 1740–1741 was perhaps of similar magnitude to the better-known Great Famine and was due to extremely cold and then rainy weather in successive years, resulting in a series of poor harvests. Hunger compounded a range of fatal diseases. The cold and its effects extended across Europe, and it is now seen to be the last serious cold period at the end of the Little Ice Age of about 1400–1800.

The Great Famine in Ireland (1845 - 1852) was caused by a fungal infection in the potato crop, but its effects were severely worsened by the actions and inactions of the Whig government, headed by Lord John Russell in the crucial years from 1846 to 1852.

The Great Famine was proportionally more destructive of human life than the famines of modern times. Altogether, about a million people in Ireland are reliably estimated to have died of starvation and epidemic disease between 1846 and 1851, and some two million emigrated in a period of a little more than a decade (1845-55).

Comparison with other modern and contemporary famines establishes beyond any doubt that the Great Famine, which killed nearly one-eighth of the entire population, was proportionally much more destructive of human life than the vast majority of famines in modern times.
Filmed around Bantry The Eclipse (2009), filmed in Cobh -an Irish supernatural drama film directed by Conor McPherson and stars Ciarán Hinds, Iben Hjejle and Aidan Quinn

Falling for a Dancer (1998), filmed in Castletownbere - a romantic drama set in rural Ireland of the 1930s. The story begins when 19-year-old Elizabeth has a brief fling with an actor and falls pregnant. Community pressure forces her to marry a dull middle-aged man, but maybe there is hope on the horizon, stars Elisabeth Dermot Walsh, Dermot Crowley and Liam Cunningham.

The Growing Summer (The Magic Summer) (1969) - London Weekend Television produced a six-episode serial of The Growing Summer, with Wendy Hiller as Aunt Dymphna. It was filmed at Bantry House, in Ahakista and near Kilcrohane on the Sheep's Head Peninsula

Moby Dick (1956) filmed in Youghal - The sole survivor of a lost whaling ship relates the tale of his captain's self-destructive obsession to hunt the white whale, Moby Dick. Director: John Huston, writer: Herman Melville (novel), stars: Gregory Peck, Richard Basehart and Leo Genn

Ondine (2009) filmed in Castletownbere, the story of an Irish fisherman who discovers a woman in his fishing net who he believes to be a Selke (a water nymph). Written and directed by Neil Jordan, stars: Colin Farrell, Alicja Bachleda and Dervla Kirwan

Purple Taxi (1977) filmed in Eyeries - The film is about a group of emotionally troubled expatriates living in a self-imposed exile in a small village, directed Yves Boisset, stars Charlotte Rampling, Philippe Noiret, Peter Ustinov and Fred Astaire

War of the Buttons (1994), filmed in Castletownsend  and Union Hall - the children of Ballydowse and Carrickdowse engage in battles where they cut of the buttons, shoe-laces and underwear of their captured opponents. Directed by John Roberts. Starring Gregg Fitzgerald, Gerard Kearney, Darragh Naughton.
Fishing Ballylickey is surrounded by several fishing opportunities: sea angling in Bantry Bay and the nearby Coomhola and Ouvane rivers plus game fishing in the local loughs. more
Flights see Transport

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Gaelic Irish (Gaeilge), also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of the population. It is considered to be an important part of the island's culture and heritage. It enjoys constitutional status as the national and first official language of the Republic of Ireland. It is an official language of the European Union and an officially recognised minority language in Northern Ireland.
Gaeltacht An area where Irish Gaelic speakers are the majority.
Golf  There are excellent golf courses nearby more
Glengarriff Glengarriff (meaning "Rugged glen")  though famous as a tourist resort, is just a village lying in the heart of a beautiful glen. It consists chiefly of pleasantly scattered hotels and other places catering for visitors. Glengariff Harbour has the appearance of a lovely land-locked estuary or a lake dotted with a hundred wooded islets; its entrance is guarded by the island of Ilnaculin or Garinish Island whose famous and beautiful gardens are open to the public (boats available). more
Garinish
Island  
Garinish Island  or the island of Ilnaculin (meaning "island of holly") is located in the sheltered harbour of Glengarriff in Bantry Bay. It is a small island of 15 hectares (37 acres) known to horticulturists and lovers of trees and shrubs all around the world as an island garden of rare beauty (Note,  not to be confused with the other island garden called Garinish
  away in County Kerry). more
Gougane Barra   Gougane Barra (meaning "Rocky cave of St Finnbar") is situated just off the Macroom - Glengarriff (R584) road, west of Ballingeary, and was Ireland's first National Park when it opened to the public in 1966. This contributes greatly to the reputation which Gougane Barra has as an area of wild and beautiful scenery. The magnificent Forest Park covers an area of over 400 hectares (1,000 acres).
Goat's Path   The scenic route for the Sheeps Head Peninsula with a superb view of sea and mountains.
Mount Gabriel   Mount Gabriel is 1,339 feet high and offers wonderful views across the Schull harbour, Roaring Water Bay and Carbery's hundred isles. The domes at the summit of Mount Gabriel are aircraft-tracking stations.

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Harp The harp was adopted as the symbol of the new Kingdom of Ireland, established by Henry VIII, in 1541. A document in the Office of the Ulster King of Arms, from either the late reign of Henry VIII or the early reign his son of Edward VI, states that they were the arms of the kingdom of Ireland. The arms were incorporated into the unified Royal Coats of Arms of England, Ireland and Scotland upon the Union of the Crowns of the three kingdoms in 1603. Unlike Scotland, Ireland did not request to keep a unique coat of arms when it formed the United Kingdom by uniting with the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1801. Consequently a uniquely Irish coat of arms temporarily disappeared from official use. Upon the secession of the Irish Free State from the United Kingdom in 1922, the harp was taken as the emblem of the independent Irish state.

Today, the image of the harp is used on the coins, passports and official seals of the Republic of Ireland and is incorporated into the emblems of many bodies in Northern Ireland, such as the Police Service of Northern Ireland. The harp is frequently incorporated into the emblems of Irish companies, such as Guinness and Ryanair. It appears on the arms of countries with historical links to Ireland or the United Kingdom, such as Montserrat and Canada. Exemplars of the modern design, approved by the Chief Herald, were registered by the Government of Ireland in 1984 to protect the symbol as an international trade mark.
Horse Riding & Pony Trekking Horse riding & Pony Trekking - ride through West Cork's spectacular scenery and unspoilt environment  more

Hungry Hill

Hungry Hill rises over the estuary of Bear Haven and Bantry Bay.  It is 2000 feet above sea-level and has a waterfall which descends from a height of nearly 800 feet.  It was called Hungry Hill because the local people believed that many patches of Féar Gortha ("Hungry Grass"), which was believed to be bewitched, grew on it. 

Healy Pass, Lauragh

The Healy Pass is arguably the most beautiful mountain pass in all of Ireland. The Pass crosses the Beara Peninsula and it has a definite Alpine look and feel with spectacular views throughout.

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Ilen

The River Ilen is a medium sized tidal  river about 21 miles (33kms.) long and flows through some of the most beautiful scenery in West Cork. See Rivers
Irish Dancing
Irish dancing or Irish dance is a group of traditional dance forms originating in Ireland which can broadly be divided into social dance and performance dances. Irish social dances can be divided further into céilí and set dancing. Irish set dances are quadrilles, danced by 4 couples arranged in a square, while céilí dances are danced by varied formations (ceili) of 2 to 16 people. In addition to their formation, there are significant stylistic differences between these two forms of social dance. Irish social dance is a living tradition, and variations in particular dances are found across the Irish dancing community; in some places, dances are deliberately modified and new dances are choreographed.

Irish dancing, popularised in 1994 by the world-famous show "Riverdance", is notable for its rapid leg and foot movements, body and arms being kept largely stationary.

The dancing traditions of Ireland probably grew in close association with traditional Irish music. Although its origins are unclear, Irish dancing was later influenced by dance forms from the Continent, especially the Quadrille. Travelling dancing masters taught all over Ireland, as late as the early 1900s.
 Irish Diaspora The Irish Diaspora consists of Irish emigrants and their descendants in countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, Argentina, New Zealand, Mexico, South Africa, Brazil and states of the Caribbean and continental Europe. The Diaspora, maximally interpreted, contains more than 80 million people, which is more than thirteen times the population of the island of Ireland itself, which had approximately 6.4 million in 2011 (comprising the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland).

After 1840, emigration had become a massive, relentless, and efficiently managed national enterprise. Counting those who went to Britain, between 9 and 10 million Irish people emigrated after 1700. The total flow was more than the population at its historical peak in the 1830s of 8.5 million. From 1830 to 1914, almost 5 million went to the United States alone. In 1890 two of every five Irish-born people were living abroad. By the 21st century, an estimated 80 million people worldwide claim some Irish descent; among them are 41 million Americans who claim "Irish" as their primary ethnicity.

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Jig

A jig is a lively dance is triple time and most probably came to Ireland from England, perhaps as early as the (1500s). Native marches were adapted for dancing, some tunes borrowed from England and a start made on composing those tunes which constituted the greatest single division of the dance music until reels began to catch up on them in the 2nd half of the last century.

Examples: "The Humours of Bantry", "The Trip to Bantry"

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Kealkill
Stone Circle

This is a significant archaeological site not only with a stone circle but also a radial stone cairn and a pair of standing stones. Located immediately to the south of Kealkill Village, the site offers spectacular views with Bantry Bay to the west, Cnoc Baoi to the north and the Sheha Hills to the east. Stone Circles are generally regarded as ritual sites where ceremonies took place and are likely to date from the Bronze Age. Radial Stone Cairns are thought to be burial monuments also from the Bronze Age. The orientation factor has given rise to a lot of speculation into the astronomical alignment of these structures . However there are no scientific conclusions on this point and it may be that prominent landscape features rather than celestial bodies are the reason for a particular orientation.

Kenmare

 

Kenmare (meaning "Little Nest" is well known as the first planned town in Ireland, built in the 17th century by Sir William Petty, on the instructions of the first Marquis of Lansdowne. Nowadays, it is world renowned as a picturesque town that was awarded the title “Ireland’s Tidiest Town” many times. more
County Kerry   County Kerry has some of the most stunning scenery in Ireland, attracting visitors from around the globe
Kilcrohane  Kilcrohane is located west south-west of Durrus as you head towards the end of the Sheep's Head peninsula. It takes its name from the Church of St. Crohan founded in the 8th century. more
Killarney  Killarney (meaning "Church of the Sloes") is one of Ireland's loveliest districts,  and is known all over the world. Poets, painters and writers have never fully succeeded in conveying the varied beauty of this wonderland of mountains and lakes
Kilmakilloge  The busy fishing harbour of Kilmakilloge (meaning "Church of St Mocheallog") is in a large protected bay where the two rivers Owenshagh and Croanshagh flow.  Nearby are Derreen Gardens, that contain a magnificent collection of trees and plants collected from all over the world.

Kilnaruane Carved Pillar Stone

 
This is located on a drumlin (A hill, usually oval or tear shaped formed by glaciers), a mile outside Bantry close to the West Lodge on the N71 route. It is a monument of early Christian times that may have formed the shaft of a high cross. One of the panels depicts a boat with four oarsmen.

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La Crosse


 

Bantry Town Council is setting up a twinning agreement with the city of La Crosse, which is located in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, USA.  In the 1700s French fur traders named the area La Crosse after they saw the Winnebago Indians playing a game with long-handled racquets resembling crosses, similar to the game of lacrosse still in play. There are remarkable views of the convergence of the Mississippi, Black and La Crosse Rivers here.

Loughs (meaning "lakes")

Upper and Lower Lough Avaul are fresh water lakes located on the road from Glengarriff to Castletownbere. more
Lough Bofinne is situated 3 miles east of the town of Bantry. more

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Maps

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Mizen Head

 

The Mizen Peninsula is on Ireland's most south westerly point and  is worldwide renown for the beauty of its rugged landscape and ancient heritage. A tour of the Mizen Ring gives you the chance to immerse yourself in the various strands that make the Mizen unique. From geology, flora, birds and fauna to the influence of man and his history on the landscape. Travelling west from Schull you drive along the bog road built originally in the eighteenth century to carry butter to Cork for export to the new colonies. more
Mizen Head Visitor Centre

 

The Mizen Head Signal Station was built in 1906 on Cloghane Island, Mizen Head to warn local ships of bad visibility conditions. The Arched Bridge which connects the island to the mainland, was built between 1908 – 1910.  It is 172’ across and 150’ above sea level.
Motor biking

 

There are great opportunity for riders to exploit their  machines’ capabilities, to  take in the scenery and  to relax and enjoy the local  hospitality more
Munster Munster (An Mhumhain) is the southernmost province of Ireland, comprising the counties of Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford.
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N71

The N71 is the main coastal road, but it's much more rewarding to meander off along the minor roads through remoter areas, past sandy coves and small communities.

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Ouvane

The Ouvane river flows past Aran Lodge into Bantry Bay. See Rivers
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St. Patrick St. Patrick (387 - c461 or 493) is the Patron Saint of Ireland. He was born in Roman Britain, possibly in Scotland, and was taken to Ireland as a slave. According to legend, St. Patrick used a shamrock to explain about God. The shamrock, which looks like clover, has three leaves on each stem. Saint Patrick told the people that the shamrock was like the idea of the Trinity – that in the one God there are three divine beings: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Another tale about St. Patrick is that he drove the snakes from Ireland. Different versions of the story, tell of him standing upon a hill, using a wooden staff to drive the serpents into the sea, banishing them forever from Ireland. One version says that an old serpent resisted banishment, but that Patrick outwitted him. St. Patrick made a box and invited the snake to enter. The snake insisted it was too small and the two argued. Finally to prove his point, the snake entered the box to show how tight the fit was. St. Patrick slammed the lid closed and threw the box into the sea.

Although it’s true that Ireland has no snakes, this likely had more to do with the fact that Ireland is an island and being separated from the rest of the continent the snakes couldn’t get there. The stories of St. Patrick and the snakes are likely a metaphor for his bringing Christianity to Ireland and driving out the pagan religions (serpents were a common symbol in many of these religions).

Saint Patrick’s Day is usually celebrated with a parade on March 17th. The one in Dublin, Ireland is known to some as the Irish Mardi Gras. But the one in New York City is actually one of the biggest. It lasts for hours. Two Irish wolfhounds, the mascots of the New York National Guard infantry regiment the “Fighting 69th”, always lead the parade. More than one hundred bands and a hundred thousand marchers follow the wolfhounds in the parade.

 

Potato The potato was introduced to Ireland as a garden crop of the gentry. By the late 17th century, it had become widespread as a supplementary rather than a principal food, as the main diet still revolved around butter, milk, and grain products. In the first two decades of the 18th century, however, it became a base food of the poor, especially in winter. The expansion of the economy between 1760 and 1815 saw the potato make inroads in the diet of the people and become a staple food all the year round for the cottier and small farm class.

The potato's spread was essential to the development of the cottier system, delivering an extremely cheap workforce, but at the cost of lower living standards. For the labourer, it was essentially a potato wage that shaped the expanding agrarian economy.

The expansion of tillage led to an inevitable expansion of the potato acreage and an expansion of the cottier class. By 1841, there were over half a million cottiers, with 1.75 million dependants. The principal beneficiary of this system was the English consumer.

The grazing lands of Ireland had been used to pasture cows for centuries. The British colonised the Irish, transforming much of their countryside into an extended grazing land to raise cattle for a hungry consumer market at home. The British taste for beef had a devastating impact on the impoverished and disenfranchised people of Ireland... Pushed off the best pasture land and forced to farm smaller plots of marginal land, the Irish turned to the potato, a crop that could be grown abundantly in less favourable soil. Eventually, cows took over much of Ireland, leaving the native population virtually dependent on the potato for survival.

The potato was also used extensively as a fodder crop for livestock immediately prior to the famine.

The Irish were unable to turn to hunting or fishing as the lands and the fishing rights were mostly owned by the English gentry. The Irish were also unable to afford fishing equipment or boats.

Pubs

Ouvane Falls Pub & Restaurant, Ballylickey

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Queenstown

Cove of Cork was renamed Queenstown when Queen Victoria visited in 1849. It was named Cóbh in 1922. See Cóbh
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Restaurants Ouvane Falls Pub & Restaurant, Ballylickey

 

Seaview House Hotel & Restaurant, Ballylickey
 
Rivers

 

The Coomhola river drains into the top of Bantry Bay, just outside of Bantry on the main road to Kenmare. more

The river Ilen can be found at Skibereen. This is a medium sized river which gets a good run of Spring salmon and Grilse, with excellent runs of Sea trout. From March, you can get the Spring fish entering the river, with the Grilse coming in June. The best time to do the Sea trout angling is in July.

The Ouvane river is situated flowing into Bantry Bay on the coast just outside Bantry on the main road to Kenmare. more

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Scuba Diving

Explore the local shipwreck sites and coral reefs more

Sea Ferry

See Transport
Shamrock The shamrock is the most instantly recognizable emblem of Ireland. For good luck, it's usually included in the bouquet of an Irish bride, and also in the boutonniere of the groom. It's the symbol of a quality B & B that's earned the right to display it. It's part of the Aer Lingus logo, as well as those of many other companies, sports teams and organizations. And, it's also an integral part of an old tradition called "drowning the shamrock." This takes place on St. Patrick's Day, when the shamrock that has been worn in the hat or lapel is removed and put into the last drink of the evening. A toast is proposed and then, when the toast has been honoured, the shamrock is taken from the bottom of the glass and thrown over the left shoulder. Sláinte! Also see St. Patrick

Schull

Schull (meaning "place of scolbs (sticks for thatching)" is small village with a quaint little harbour, Bathing, boating, yachting, water skiing, sea angling and pony-trekking are among the attractions here. There is a planetarium (the only one in the Republic) attached to the Community College in Schull, which is open to visitors during the season. The road onwards to Mizen Head sweeps round lovely Toormore Bay to Goleen, with its secluded sandy beach.
Sheep's Head   The Sheep’s Head Way is one of the most recently created waymarked walks in Ireland. The route combines low, rugged hills and a splendid cliff coastline with quieter roads, paths and tracks to make a complete circuit around the Sheep’s Head Peninsula. As the route is fairly short and covers relatively easy terrain, the Sheep’s Head Way is eminently suitable for those walkers who do not have much experience of covering long distances. more
Storytelling Story-telling was a favourite art and amusement among the Gaelic-speaking people of Ireland and and much of their repertoire went back to pre-Christian sources. There were professional storytellers, divided into well-defined ranks - ollaimh (professors), (poets), baird (bards), seanchaithe (historians, storytellers), whose duty it was to know by heart the tales, poems and history proper to their rank, which were recited for the entertainment and praise of the chiefs and princes. These learned classes were rewarded by their patrons, but the collapse of the Gaelic order after the battle of Kinsale in 1601-2, wiped out the aristocratic classes who maintained the poets, and reduced the role of the historian and seanchaí.
Storytelling was, of course, one of the main forms of Þ reside entertainment among the ordinary folk also, and the popular Irish tradition became enriched by the remnants of the learned classes returning to the people. Denied the possibility of enhancing their place in society, and deprived of the means to promote and progress their art, the storyteller was held in high esteem by the ordinary Irish
who revered and cultivated story and song as their principal means of artistic expression.

This cultivation of the quality of oral expression was important in the Irish-speaking tradition. Much of the particular nature of the English spoken in Ireland is owed to this linguistic inheritance. Nevertheless, a lot was also lost in the transition from Irish to English; many tales have been recorded only in Irish, mainly due to the efforts of the Irish Folklore Commission, now in the Department of
Irish Folklore in University College, Dublin. Some material has been translated into English, and there is, of course, an impressive amount of lore collected in English. http://www.ucd.ie/folklore/en/
Sugarloaf Mountain   Sugarloaf Mountain (1,887 ft), just west of Glengarriff,  is part of the Caha Mountain range, along with Hungry Hill and Slieve Miskish, and which forms the spine of the Beara Peninsula and divide Bantry Bay from the Kenmare River. Lower hills still hold traces of Neolithic settlements.more
Skibbereen Skibbereen (meaning "place of boats") is one of the main towns in County Cork, is on the River Ilen where it widens to form a creek and unites its waters with an inlet of Baltimore Bay.  The town was one of many in Ireland which suffered very badly during the period of the Irish Famine in the 1840’s. The Famine plot survives today in the Abbey Cemetery west of the town.
Skibbereen Heritage Centre Skibbereen Heritage Centre is located in the beautifully restored Old Gasworks building and featuring two main exhibitions, The Great Famine Exhibition, which commemorates this period of Irish history using the latest in multimedia technology and The Lough Hyne Visitor Centre which reveals the unique nature of this marine lake, Ireland's first Marine Nature Reserve. more

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The North Star There is no detailed information on the sinking of The North Star, but an Irish broadside entitled Sorrowful Lamentation on the Loss of The North Star describes the sinking of an Irish ship bound for America with the loss of around 470 lives. A problem presented by the broadside text is that it gives the ship as having set sail on 8th December (no year given) and fifteen days out having sunk off the Welsh coast.

It was once I courted a pretty girl
And she lives near Bantry Town;
She was proper, tall and handsome
In every degree,
And her eyes, they shone like diamonds
And her teeth like ivory.

I being a farmer's only son,
My age being scarce eighteen;
This damsel fair, she is as fair as rare
As e'er the sun shone on,
And I having plenty, and she of a low degree,
Which made my parents slight my love
And prove my destiny.

They sent me to Americay my fortune for to try;
I sailed on board the North Star
Which now on the sea does lie;
But fortune proved kind to me,
A plank brought me ashore,
And I am in hopes to see my love
In Bantry Town once more.

When I landed in Columbia shore,
No friends there could I find,
But the thoughts of my own true love
Still ran into my mind,
For three long days and three long nights,
The truth I'll let you know,
Still thinking on my cruel friends
That proved my overthrow.

On the third morning, before the break of day,
A lady, she stepped up to me
And those words to me did say;
"My lovely youth, tell to me the truth,
What's the cause of your misery,
Or do you belong to the human form,
Or where is your countery?"

"I am an Irishman", I said,
"The truth I will lay down;
My parents they are wealthy
And they lives near Bantry Town.
For the courting of a comely maid
They sent me far away,
And I got wrecked on the North Star
Which now lies on the sea."

This maid then fell in love with me
As the tears came from her eye.
She says, "Are you married to
The girl you left behind?
For I have gold at my command,
My riches they are great;
If you join with me in wedlock bands,
You'll be lord of my estate."

"To marry you, my fair lady
It's a thing I could not do,
For I'm already promised,
Bound under an oath that's true
To another fair lady, the truth I will explain,
And there's no other on this earth
Could e'er my poor heart gain."

The lady fell in deep despair
And those words to me did say,
"Here is one hundred pounds in gold
That'll take you o'er the sea,
For love, I find it better
Than gold or earthy store;
May the angel bright guard you home tonight
To your Bantry girl once more."

http://www.mustrad.org.uk/articles/clare.htm

Transport

Buses - Bus Eireann
Flights - Aer Lingus, Ryanair
Sea Ferry - Swansea Cork Ferries, Rosslare Ferries
Trains - Kilarney or Cork Irish Rail
Touring Ballylickey is perfectly situated for touring the Bantry peninsulas, Beara, Sheep's Head the Mizen Peninsula plus the Ring of Kerry more
Tralee Tralee  (meaning "Strand of the River Li") lies on the scenic south west coast of Ireland at the gateway to the Dingle Peninsula. It is the capital town of County Kerry, an area of spectacular beauty. Tralee is almost 800 years old. During the Middle Ages it served as headquarters of the powerful Desmond Geraldines who controlled the south-west of Ireland from their Great Castle in Tralee. The end of August sees the hosting of the International Rose of Tralee Festival - Ireland's largest festival.

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Unionhall

This lovely fishing port is sheltered in an almost hidden corner of Glandore Harbour. The brightly painted homes and shops attract tourists and artists alike. This coastline  is home to dolphins, whales and seals. Jonathon Swift (1667 -  1745), the Irish author and journalist,  wrote the poem "Carberiae Rupes" (Carbery Rocks") here in 1723.
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Visitor Centre

see Skibbereen Heritage Centre
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Weather

Ireland has a temperate, maritime climate. The weather is modified by warm ocean currents to produce mild winters and cool summers. Plan on rainy weather, referred to by the locals as "nice and soft." The weather is predictably unpredictable, and travellers can expect to see bright blue morning skies, an afternoon downpour, and a beautiful clear night all in one day. more
Walking Starting from Ballylickey, you can choose to go on quiet walks in country lanes or strenuous hiking in the  rugged Caha or Sheehy mountain ranges more
Whiddy Island Whiddy Island has many sites of significant historical interest with a number of English forts and the remains of an O'Sullivan Bere Castle. The island is 6km by 2km and has a population of 30. It is accessible by ferry from Bantry Harbour during the Summer and this service is also available, by arrangement, during the Winter.
Wolfe Tone
(1763-98)
Theobald Wolfe Tone was a founder member of the United Irishmen, which was initially formed to foster a political union between Roman Catholics and Protestants, with a view to obtaining a liberal measure of parliamentary reform. By 1796, the movement had become militant and had enlisted the help of a formidable French Armada with the intent of putting an end to British rule and establish an independent Irish republic. Bad weather turned to gale force and the ships were unable to land. The invasion had to be abandoned.

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Irish Kiss

To make an "Irish Kiss" Cocktail:
Ingredients:3/4 oz Bailey's Irish Cream, 3/4 oz Kahlua Coffee Liqueur, Coffee
Directions: Pour Baileys and Kahlua into Irish coffee glass, fill glass with hot coffee and top with whipped cream
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Youghal

Youghal stands at the mouth of the beautiful River Blackwater and has a beautiful view of sea and mountain and is geographically situated between the cities of Waterford and Cork and close to the great ports of Europe, and to medieval learning centres such as Lismore and Kilkenny.
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Zetland Pier

Zetland Pier is a well known local beauty spot with safe swimming areas also excellent rock fishing can be enjoyed with spectacular views of Garinish West Island and Bantry Bay. The area around the pier is suitable for snorkelling while the attraction for divers is Sheelane Island about 800m offshore

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