Clonakilty
Sightseeing train
A sightseeing "train" which runs from the West Cork Model Railway Village around Clonakilty Town
Image courtesy of www.clonakilty.bizSightseeing train
Image courtesy of www.clonakilty.biz
Image courtesy of www.clonakilty.biz
Sightseeing train
A sightseeing "train" which runs from the West Cork Model Railway Village around Clonakilty Town
Image courtesy of www.clonakilty.bizClonakilty is a busy market down that's located near popular seaside resorts like Inchadoney and Owenahincha.
Michael Collins, one of the great heroes of the 1916-1922 period, was born at Woodfield, near here.
The West Cork Model Railway Village in Clonakilty shows how life was during the early 1940s. Here you can see exhibitions of the railways and industries which once linked six West Cork towns: Bandon, Clonakilty, Kinsale, Dunmanway, Bantry and Skibbereen.
River Farla
A view of the Farla river that runs through Clonakilty in County Cork.
Image courtesy of www.clonakilty.bizRiver Farla
Image courtesy of www.clonakilty.biz
Image courtesy of www.clonakilty.biz
River Farla
A view of the Farla river that runs through Clonakilty in County Cork.
Image courtesy of www.clonakilty.bizThe planners of Clonakilty have been very clever in reusing old buildings for modern use. For example, a 19th century mill is now the home of the County Council and the library. Also, an old Church has been converted into the town's Post Office.
Clonakilty was the winner of Ireland's Tidiest Town in 1999.
Bandon
The town of Bandon is located 32km west of Cork City and is known as 'The Gateway to West Cork'.
The town was founded by Richard Boyle, The great Earl of Cork who acquired vast Munster Estates and planted them with English and Scottish settlers.
It is home to the Bandon Music Festival which takes place on the June Bank Holiday Weekend of each year. Last year, famous Irish band The Undertones headlined the festival.
Bantry
The town of Bantry, at the head of Bantry Bay is a busy market town and fishing port. It is located between the Beara Peninsula and the Muintivara Peninsula.
Bantry Bay has played host to two French fleets down the years. The first came in 1689 to support James II against William of Orange. The second came in 1796 to support Wolfe Tone's planned insurrection. However, this failed due to severe weather and poor leadership.
Bantry House is the jewel in Bantry's crown. It overlooks Bantry Bay and Whiddy Island and houses some fine pieces of art from down the years. An exhibition centre has been developed in the courtyard of Bantry House in recent years. It gives the story of the failed French expedition of 1796.
Dunmanway
Dunmanway is a small town which lies at the geographical centre of West Cork. The town is famous as the birthplace of Sam Maguire, whose name is symbolic with the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship.
In the early 18th century, Sir Richard Cox, who was Lord Chancellor of Ireland, set up two fairs yearly and a weekly market every Tuesday. He also helped develop the linen industry in the town.
Like most towns in Ireland, the Great Famine had a huge effect on Dunmanway. The women of the town sent a letter to the Vice Preident of America which included the following line:
"Oh! that our American sisters could see the labourers on our roads, able-bodied men, scarcely clad, famishing with hunger, with despair in their once cheerful faces, staggering at their work ... oh! that they could see the dead father, mother or child, lying coffinless, and hear the screams of the survivors around them, caused not by sorrow, but by the agony of hunger".