Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [221]
Hayes Bar ( 028-33214; The Square, Glandore; meals €8-20; kitchen noon-9pm) The food – and the decor – at this perfect portside pub will put you in the pink. Soups, tapas, sandwiches and more are best enjoyed at the picnic tables outside.
Also here:
Glandore Inn ( 028-33468; The Square, Glandore) A seamen’s haunt, with plenty of picnic tables.
GETTING THERE & AWAY
Buses stop in nearby Leap (3km north), from where most B&B owners will pick you up if you arrange it in advance.
Castletownshend
pop 160
With its grand houses and higgledy-piggledy stone cottages dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries tumbling down the precipitously steep main street, Castletownshend is one of Ireland’s most enigmatic villages. At the bottom of the hill is a small quayside and the castle (really a crenellated mansion) after which the village is named. Once you’ve seen these, you can just put your feet up and relax: you’ve ticked all the boxes.
The castle ( 028-36100; www.castle-townshend.com; r €110-170), sitting imposingly on the waterfront, is a rocky fantasy. Huge mullioned windows obviate any authenticity of the decorative defensive touches. The seven guest rooms range from one with an old four-poster, where you can play ‘royal and consort’ games, to small but bright rooms, some with terraces and views.
The only way here is by car down the R596 for 8km. A taxi ( 028-21258) from Skibbereen costs about €15.
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SKIBBEREEN
pop 2300
Skibbereen (Sciobairín) was once a typical market town: unvarnished, down to earth and warm-hearted. It’s still all those things but there is now an overlay of glitz, which attests to the wealth of the weekending swells and yachties from Dublin.
It’s a good West Cork pit stop, and an hour’s stroll is a nice diversion.
History
Skibbereen was one of the most badly affected towns in Ireland during the Famine. Huge numbers of the local population emigrated or died of starvation or disease. ‘The accounts are not exaggerated – they cannot be exaggerated – nothing more frightful can be conceived.’ So wrote Lord Dufferin and GF Boyle, who journeyed from Oxford to Skibbereen in February 1847 to see if reports of the Famine were true. Their eyewitness account makes horrific reading; Dufferin was so appalled by what he saw that he contributed £1000 (about €100,000 in today’s money) to the relief effort.
Orientation
The main landmark in town is a statue in the central square, dedicated to heroes of Irish rebellions against the British. From here, three roads branch off: Market St heads south to Lough Hyne and Baltimore; Main St, the principal shopping street, becomes Bridge St before heading west over the river to Ballydehob and Bantry; and North St heads towards the main Cork road.
Information
The tourist office ( 028-21766; www.skibbereen.ie; North St; 10am-5pm Mon-Fri Sep-May, Sat & Sun Jun-Aug) can book accommodation in Baltimore and on Sherkin and Clear Islands, advise on local walks, and provide ferry timetables to the islands.
There’s an AIB Bank with an ATM on Bridge St. For internet access head to Skibbereen Business Services ( 028-23287; 27A Main St; per 10 min €1; 9.30am-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm Sat).
Sights
Constructed on the site of the town’s old gasworks, the Skibbereen Heritage Centre ( 028-40900; www.skibbheritage.com; Old Gasworks Bldg, Upper Bridge St; adult/child €6/3; 10am-6pm Tue-Sat Oct-May, daily Jun-Sep) 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.
Guided evening historical walks (adult/child €5/2.50), lasting 1½ hours, leave from the Heritage Centre. Call ahead