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Winner of Irelands
Tidiest Town
Clonakilty is a busy market town located near to several
popular seaside resorts such as Inchadoney and Owenahincha. With
its beautifully maintained floral displays in the Summer
Clonakilty is a joy to explore. Local planning authorities have
encouraged the use of traditional hand painted signs with a
special emphasis on the Irish language on business premises in the
town.
For a town of its size, the very grand Roman Catholic Church is
very impressive,
with fine glass and mosaics. Clonakilty has everything for the
visitor with several fine cafes and restaurants serving excellent
local produce and live music in a number of pubs by night
especially An Teach Beag close to O'Donovan's Hotel. There are
lots of shops to keep the family occupied from popular clothes
boutiques, gourmet shops, galleries, antiques, surf shops, book shops and craft shops.
Spiller's Lane has several shops in this lovely courtyard area to
explore.
This part of West Cork is an area of good fertile land and has a
range of local artisan food producers in the area the best known
being Clonakilty Black Pudding, smoked fish from the nearby
Woodcock Smokery in Skibbereen, Gubbeen Cheese and Farmhouse
Products near Schull and the well know Irish yoghurts and
cheesecakes supplied by Glenilen Farm in Drimoleague and breads
from the West Cork Bakery in Dunmanway.
Clonakilty's history can be traced back to the
1300's. See the fine 19th century mill buildings which have been
nicely adapted for modern use, and now houses the town library and
County Council offices. The mills supplied the large distillery
owned by the Deasy family in 1800. Clonakilty would have had a
large part in the brewing and bottling history and also the linen
industry with many looms located in Clonakilty in olden times. Nearby, a small disused Presbyterian
Church has been put to good use today as the local post office!
 West
Cork Model Railway Village is located a short distance from
Clonakilty town ideal for all the family and includes a
reproduction of the West Cork Railway
and industrial development in the area during the period of World
War II. Clonakilty also has a cinema in the town centre.
Michael
Collins, one of the great heroes of the 1916-1922 period, was
born at Woodfield, near here. He was General of the Free State
Army, and his
 dynamic and powerful personality made him a legend
in his own lifetime. The small West Cork Museum in Clonakilty has
many mementos of the hero. The memorial to him at Sam's Cross was
unveiled by General Tom Barry, himself a prominent figure in the
Republican Movement.
From Clonakilty westward the coast becomes bolder
and more rugged, the sea carving deep inlets and bays as it rolls in
from the Atlantic. Ardfield, Galley Head headland where Galley Head
Lighthouse proudly stands, with the wild Atlantic Ocean to the fore,
Dunowen, Castlefreke and Owenahincha are all close by.
Take some time to visit the Rathbarry village which is beautifully
kept and a Tidy Towns winner and visit Rathbarry Museum beside the
Rathbarry Post Office and visit Lady Carbery's Well, and the lovely
restored Sprigging School Cottage (sprigging being a type of lace),
St. Michael's Church and across the road for some great views of
Castlefreke, its castle and Celtic Cross and further down along
another viewpoint offering views of Galley Head, Toe Head and Mount
Gabriel.
Castlefreke with its large wooded area is a good area for a walk,
where you will see the 1700's wall remains of Lord Carbery's estate,
Castlefreke Castle and Celtic Cross and Rathbarry Church and Castle.
The area around Clonakilty and surrounding areas in West Cork has
many little coves, bays and beaches waiting to be explored such as
Dunee, Dunneycove, Broad Strand, Dirk Cove, Mill Cove, Sands Cove, Red Strand
and Long Strand great beach with its sand dunes and Dunworley and
the well know beach at Inchydoney.
Clonakilty is just over an hours drive from Cork
Airport so why not come and visit us here in West Cork. Take
some time out to breath the fresh air, visit some wonderful open
gardens, historical sites, take a stroll up some quite country lanes,
watch the farmers going about their seasonal work, take a
picnic to a little cove or bay, join friends for some West Cork Surfing or
swimming on its many beaches, take in some golf and with this wealth
of things to see and do just a short drive away you have to visit
Clonakilty, see you there....
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