History - Living the Sheep's Head Way

Bantry House and Gardens

January 8, 2014 by Dunmanus

Take a tour of Bantry House, an exquisite Irish stately home and gardens, still owned by descendants of the original Earl of Bantry who built the house in the mid-1700s

The house’s story is, as you’ll discover, closely interwoven with Irish history. Richard White, Earl of Bantry ensured – with the help of some fierce storms – that Theobald Wolfe Tone and the United Irishmen could not complete their plans to invade from Bantry Bay in 1796. Centuries later, the house was one of the few Irish stately homes to survive the War of Independence.

Bantry House provides a gracious setting for the many stunning artefacts which the family has collected from across Europe over the centuries. Meanwhile, the extensive landscaped gardens offer breath-taking views across Bantry Bay. Few visitors resist the temptation to climb the garden’s steps to gain a stunning perspective on this elegant and welcoming historic house.

Self-guided tours of the house and gardens are available, and guided tours with the owner, Sophie Shelswell-White can also be arranged (see below for details). A café is open here during the summer months.

Location:	Bantry, Co. Cork
Opening Hours:	Open Tuesday to Sunday. Closed Mondays.
Winter Hours:	Closed from October-March 2015.
Admission Fee:	Visit the Garden Garden: €5 Annual Garden Passes: €10 and €30 Visit the House and Garden Adults: €11 Concessions/Groups: €8 Groups (20+): €7 Family Tickets 2 Adults 2 Children: €26 Child 6 -16 years old: €3 Child under 6 years old: FREE All the above are self-guided options Guided tour 2pm Tuesdays: €15 per person (includes self-guided visit)
Website:	http://bantryhouse.com
Tel.	00 353 (027)50047
Email:	[email protected]
Credit Cards:	Yes
TripAdvisor Reviews:	Yes
Google Maps:	Yes
	The House and Garden is partially wheelchair accessible with most of the formal garden to visit on gravel or flagstones. The house has the ground floor which consists of the halls, 2 drawing rooms featuring furniture and tapestries from Versailles, the Ante Room and dramatic Dining Room. We do not have a lift and there are 2 full flights of stairs and then half flight going to the library and bedrooms.
Facebook:	Yes
Twitter:	@BantryHouse

Kealkill Stone Circle Walk

January 7, 2014 by Dunmanus

The Kealkill Stone Circle Walk from Carriganass Castle leads you to a fine example of a historic stone circle, with spectacular views over Bantry Bay.

From the gates of Carriganass Castle, turn right to rejoin the main road. Turn right again to head towards the car park and follow the signs to Kealkill village, taking a left turn up Lucey’s hill to the centre of the village.

Cross the road, and walk up Chapel Hill, to the left of The Brown Pub. At the top of the hill by the church, turn right.

From Kealkill’s Church of the Immaculate Conception, there are fine views across the valley, a glimpse of the even finer views available when you reach the Stone Circle above it.

After 300 metres, take the left turn, signposted for the Stone Circle, and make your way up the winding road upwards for about 1km until you see on your left the gate for the Stone Circle.

Use the pedestrian gate here to gain access to the Stone Circle itself, following a rough track for about 200m from the road.

The Stone Circle offers spectacular views across Bantry Bay to the west, Cnoc Baoi to the north, Mullaghmesha to the south, and the Sheha and Douce to the east. You can find out more about the monument here.

This walk will take approximately 1.5 hours and includes a fairly steep uphill walk.

Air India Disaster Memorial

January 4, 2014 by Dunmanus

At Ahakista, the Air India Disaster Memorial is the site of a memorial garden established in memory of the victims of the 1985 Air India disaster.

Air India Flight 182 was an Air India flight operating on the Montreal–London–Delhi route. On the 23rd June, 1985 the airplane operating on the route, a Boeing 747-237B, was blown up by a bomb at an altitude of 9,400m and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean while in Irish airspace.

A total of 329 people were killed, including 280 Canadians, 27 British citizens and 22 Indians. The incident was the largest mass murder in modern Canadian history.

The memorial garden and sundial erected here in Ahakista mark the special relationships that have developed between the families and the local community in the intervening years. The sundial was sculpted by Cork sculptor Ken Thompson and was donated by the people of Canada, India and Ireland.

The memorial garden is the site of an annual commemorative event, when families from Canada, India and the UK gather with people from the Sheep’s Head peninsula and Bantry to remember those lost in the tragedy.

Kealkill Stone Circle

December 31, 2013 by Dunmanus

Kealkill’s magnificent stone circle is one of the most striking examples of megalithic architecture in Ireland.

The structure is made up of a circle of five axial stones, with a further two stones nearby, the tallest of which is over four metres high.

A small cairn of stones is also located close to the circle, with a ‘kerb’ of stones set upright in a radial pattern around the inside.

The elevated position of the stone circle on a mountain ridge gives extensive views across Bantry Bay to the west. You will look out over miles of hills and valleys in every other direction except south, where the mountain rises above the circle.

You’ll need to park at the roadside to access the farmer’s field in which Kealkill stone circle is located, but a walk from Carriganass Castle in the village below is rewarding. While the walk up through Kealkill village and on up to the circle is fairly strenuous, the views from there, across Bantry Bay towards Beara, and out towards West Cork’s highest peak, Knockboy (Cnoc Baoi), are breathtaking.

Gougane Barra

December 30, 2013 by Dunmanus

‘The church on the lake’ at Gougane Barra is one of Ireland’s hidden gems.

During your visit, you’ll explore the traces of the hermitage at Gougane Barra where St. Finbarr lived. The beautiful chapel built in his memory on a small island on the still lake, known as St. Finbarr’s Oratory, is one of the most magical places to get married in Ireland.

The oratory is set against the stunning backdrop of the lake and West Cork’s beautiful Caha mountains. It’s a wonderful spot to engage with Ireland’s fascinating past and gorgeous scenery, and a visit here offers the traveller a moment of peace that will enrich the soul.

While Gougane is a wonderful place for contemplation, it’s also a great place to explore on foot or bike because it marks the junction of two of Ireland’s major way-marked walking routes: the Sheep’s Head Way and the Beara-Breifne Way.

The award-winning Sheep’s Head Way and the Beara-Breifne Way meet here, and – even on a short visit – there are a number of short, off-road circular loops for groups to choose from.

There is no admission fee for Gougane Barra. A car parking fee is charged if you drive further into Gougane Barra Forest Park

Location:	Bantry, Co. Cork
Opening Hours:
Admission Fee:	Free
Website:	http://gouganebarra.com
Tel.	00 353 (0)26 47069
Email:	[email protected]
TripAdvisor Reviews:	Yes
Google Maps:	Yes

Facebook:	Yes
Twitter:	@gouganebarra

Carriganass Castle

November 21, 2013 by Dunmanus

Carriganass Castle – on the outskirts of Kealkill village, in the heart of West Cork – played a dramatic role in one of Irish history’s most exciting stories.

In 1602, the castle’s owner, Donal Cam O’Sullivan Bere, led his followers past its gates on a march to Leitrim that would see him join the Flight of the Earls from Ireland; that flight itself marked the end of Gaelic civilisation in Ireland.

Today’s visitors can explore the picturesque castle grounds. Guided tours are available, and many walkers each year take advantage of the waymarked routes that wend their way past this amazing monument at Carraig an Easa – ‘the rock of the waterfall’.

The castle is the perfect spot for a riverside picnic. If you’re feeling more adventurous, you can walk the Srón na Gaithe loop walk, or the Poc an Tairbh loop walk from the castle gates. Kealkill Stone Circle can be reached on foot from here, and the castle is also connected to the Sheep’s Head Way and St. Finbarr’s Way.