Sights in Western Cork
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Charles Fort
One of the best-preserved 17th-century star-shaped forts in Europe, this wonderful fortress would be worth a visit for its spectacular views alone. But there's much more here: ruins inside the vast site date from the 18th and 19th centuries and make for some fascinating wandering. Displays explain the typically tough lives led by the soldiers who served here and the comparatively comfortable lives of the officers. Built in the 1670s to guard Kinsale Harbour, the fort was in use until 1921, when much of it was destroyed as the British withdrew. The best way to get here is to walk – follow the signs on the lovely walk around the bay from Scilly to Summercove, 3km east of Ki…
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Church of Ireland Church
St Multose is the patron saint of Kinsale, and the Church of Ireland church is one of Ireland’s oldest, built around 1190 by the Normans on the site of a 6th-century church. Not much of the interior is original but the exterior is preserved beautifully. The graveyard has some interesting large family tombs, and several victims of the Lusitania sinking are also buried there. Inside, a flat stone carved with a round-handed figure was traditionally rubbed by fishermen’s wives to bring their husbands home safe from the sea.
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Desmond Castle
Kinsale's roots with the old wine trade are on display at this early 16th-century fortified house that was occupied by the Spanish in 1601. Since then it has served as a customs house, as a prison for French and American captives and as a workhouse during the Famine. There are lively exhibits detailing its history and a small wine museumthat tells the story of the Irish wine-trading families, including names like Hennessy (of brandy fame), who fled to France because of British rule.
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Skibbereen Heritage Centre
Constructed on the site of the town’s old gasworks, the Skibbereen Heritage Centre houses a haunting exhibition about the Famine, with actors reading heartbreaking contemporary accounts. A visit here puts Irish history into harrowing perspective. There’s also a smaller exhibition about nearby Lough Hyne, the first marine nature reserve in Ireland, and a genealogical centre.
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Regional Museum
This nifty museum is based in the 17th-century courthouse that was used for the inquest into the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915. The museum contains information on the disaster, as well as curiosities as diverse as Michael Collins' hurley and shoes belonging to the eight-foot-tall Kinsale Giant.
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West Cork Model Railway Village
You can’t help but smile at the West Cork Model Railway Village. It features a vast outdoor recreation of the West Cork Railway as it was during the 1940s and superb miniature models of the main towns in western Cork.
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Asna Sq
Roads converge on Asna Sq, dominated by a monument commemorating the 1798 Rising. Also in the square is the Kilty Stone, a piece of the original castle that gave Clonakilty (Clogh na Kylte, meaning 'castle of the woods') its name.
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Dun na Sead
The pretty harbour is dominated by the remains of the Dun na Sead. Inside are seasonal art displays, but the best way to appreciate this 13th-century survivor is from a distance.
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Inchydoney Island
The sandy Blue Flag beach at Inchydoney Island, 4km from town, is good for swimming, but watch out for the dangerous riptide; when lifeguards are on duty a red flag indicates danger.
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Heritage Centre
The small heritage centre has exhibits on the island’s history and culture, and fine views north across the water to Mizen Head.
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St Multose Church
This is one of Ireland's oldest Church of Ireland churches, built around 1190 by the Normans on the site of a 6th-century church. Not much of the interior is original but the exterior is preserved beautifully. The graveyard has some interesting large family tombs, and several victims of the Lusitania sinking are also buried there. Inside, a flat stone carved with a round-handed figure was traditionally rubbed by fishermen's wives to bring their husbands home safe from the sea.
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Ceim Hill Museum
Delightful Theresa O’Mahoney runs the Ceim Hill Museum from her farmhouse off Castletownshend Rd. The small collection of Iron Age bits in the ‘Independence’ room are worth a glance if you’re passing.
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Lisnagun
Of the more than 30,000 ring forts scattered across Ireland, Lisnagun is the only one that’s been reconstructed on its original site. Complete with souterrain and central thatched hut, it gives a vivid impression of life in a 10th-century farmstead. To get there, take the turn signposted to Bay View House B&B at the roundabout at the end of Strand Rd. Follow the road uphill to the T-junction, turn right, then continue for about 800m before turning right again (signposted).
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