Sheep's Head Way Food Cafés Restaurants, Producers, Tours

The Tin Pub

January 12, 2014 by Dunmanus

A stop at The Tin Pub is an essential part of a trip to the Sheep’s Head peninsula

The Tin Pub – which is as you might have guessed constructed from tin! -has remained the same since day one. Sample the stout in the traditional interior, or spend some time outside in the beer garden which gives you beautiful views across Dunmanus Bay.

You won’t come across anywhere quite like it on your travels, and it’s a great place to sit back and contemplate a great day walking the coastal trails of the Sheep’s Head Way before heading to Arundel’s By the Pier for dinner!

Location:	Ahakista, Sheep's Head peninsula, Co. Cork
Opening Hours	Open daily, March to October from 1:30pm.
Tel:	00 353(0)27 67203
TripAdvisor Reviews:	No
Facebook:	Yes

Centra Drimoleague Supermarket

January 11, 2014 by Dunmanus

Collins’ Centra Drimoleague offers you a full range of food, wine and household items in the heart of the West Cork village

The store, managed by Seán Collins, combines the wide range of products you’d expect from a compact modern supermarket with the personal touch and pride in local produce that are the hallmarks of West Cork!

The supermarket is just a short distance from the Top of the Rock Pod Páirc and Walking Centre, and so it’s a great place to pick up supplies if you’re staying in the pods, and its close to the railway yard where the Drimoleague Heritage Walks begin.

Don’t forget to buy a copy of the Drimoleague Heritage Walkways guide while you’re in the store!

Location:	Main Street, Drimoleague, Co. Cork
Opening Hours:	Monday - Sunday, 7.30am - 9:00pm
Tel:	00 353 (0)28 31331
Map:	No

Black Gate: Alice West Centre & Café

January 4, 2014 by Dunmanus

The café, art gallery and butter house museum at the Black Gate in Kilcrohane celebrates the crafts, history, and walks of the Sheep’s Head peninsula

The old butter house building at the Black Gate dates from the 1890s. It was once a busy trading centre for the people from the north and west of the peninsula who were able to sell home-produced butter and eggs there.

In 1968, English-born artist Alice West bought and restored the building as a rural craft museum. For many years, the Black Gate museum outside Kilcrohane served as her home, but it was also open to the public. Alice was an enthusiastic patron of traditional music and a mentor to young people who Alice encouraged to learn craft skills in her basement workshop.

On her death, Alice West bequeathed the Black Gate to the community. Today, many of her paintings, and examples from her collection of rural antiquities are on display in the recently-renovated building.

The Sheep’s Head peninsula in West Cork is home to the Sheep’s Head Way walking route, spectacular scenery and unspoilt countryside. The Alice West Centre at the Black Gate is ideally situated as part of your walk or driving tour whilst also being a worthwhile destination in itself.

Call in for tea, coffee, snacks and Wi-Fi. With outstanding views across Dunmanus Bay, the Alice West Centre provides a welcoming venue to visitors and locals alike. Regular events include storytelling, traditional dancing and craft demonstrations.

Heron Gallery Café & Gardens

January 4, 2014 by Dunmanus

Heron Gallery showcases the work of Annabel Langrish, as well as a unique and unusual collection of objet d’art, prints and original artwork.

Annabel’s compelling paintings focus on the diversity of the wildlife that surrounds us here on the Sheep’s Head peninsula. Heron gallery’s gardens – designed with an artist’s eye – are a great spot to enjoy the gorgeous, wholesome local food you’ll find in the lovely café.

The café serves Fairtrade organic coffee and teas, delicious scones and cakes, and, in summer, simple, wholesome lunches using locally-sourced organic produce. There is a lovely sunny terrace for those precious sunny days and free Wi-Fi can be accessed both inside and outside.

Heron Gallery Gardens

Our garden is open from April to the end of August. Visitors to the gallery and café are welcome to wander around and, if we get advance notice, we can prepare a slow food picnic that you can bring with you.

The organic gardens are informal, with colourful flower beds radiating out from a pond and pergola. There is a wildlife pond and walk around a large pond surrounded by wildflower meadow and young woodland.

We have planted an orchard of Irish heritage apples and you can see our 2 polytunnels and raised vegetable beds. We try to grow all the salads and vegetables we use in the café.

A path takes you up to the natural ridge area where there is a great view down Dunmanus Bay.

All visitors’ donations go towards our garden project which is to construct Ireland’s first barefoot path. Slowly, we are developing our idea for a path where you take off your shoes and experience mindful walking and connection with the earth through walking slowly with bare feet on different surfaces.

Well-behaved dogs are welcome. Children must be accompanied.

While the Heron Gallery in Ahakista is closed in the winter, you can see and buy Annabel’s work online, and in her Schull, Kinsale and Kenmare stores.

Location:	Ahakista, Co. Cork. Take the right fork in Durrus towards Sheep's Head. After Arundel’s Bar, turn right. We are 300 metres up the hill on the left.
Opening Hours:	The gallery is open throughout the year, seven days a week. The garden is open every day 10.30am to 5.00pm from Easter to end of August.
Tel.	00 353 (0)27 67278
Email:
Website:	http://herongallery.ie
	No
TripAdvisor Reviews	Yes
Special Dietary Requirements:	Coeliac-friendly. Vegetarian options.
Google Maps:	No
Facebook:	Yes

Durrus Cheese

January 3, 2014 by Dunmanus

Durrus Cheese has been made in the upland valley of Coomkeen since the late seventies. It all started as an experiment in cheese-making for the family in the farmhouse kitchen.

This proved to be a lifestyle choice and soon Jeffa Gill was producing the now well-known cheese which is sold all across Ireland and into the UK and the USA.

Durrus is a semi-soft cheese with a natural washed rind, which takes the name of the nearby Durrus village. Having started the business using milk from her own small herd of cows Jeffa eventually began working with milk from two top quality local herds and has developed this distinctive range of cheeses from cows grazing on nearby pastures, some of which border Dunmanus Bay with its dramatic landscape and salt drenched land.

Jeffa and her team in Coomkeen currently produce four award-winning cheeses. The original standard in large and small wheels, our smallest the Durrus Óg and the Dunmanus, a large wheel, matured for at least 6 months with a firmer texture.

Durrus Cheese is well known for being one of the original raw milk Irish farmhouse cheeses. We now make pasteurised versions throughout the year and our raw milk cheeses are made in the summer months when the cows are on pasture.

The Coomkeen Loop walk is a lovely way to explore the Sheep’s Head Way walking trail and it passes the Durrus farm.

Box of Frogs

January 1, 2014 by Dunmanus

Box of Frogs is a new family-run coffee house and bakery in the centre of the harbour town of Bantry in West Cork.

We offer fresh roasted coffee served by trained baristas. Our cupcakes draw a loyal crowd. We also serve up freshly-baked breads, pastries, cakes, desserts, gourmet sandwiches, soup and salads each day.

We pride ourselves on making everything from scratch, from our coleslaw and roast chicken to our famous lemon meringue and banoffee pies.

The Box of Frogs has a great sense of fun, but we take our coffee and our barista training very seriously! We serve two types of freshly-ground coffee: a beautiful classic mix of ethically-sourced Arabica beans, and a punchy Italian blend.

We look forward to serving you fantastic coffee and delicious food with a smile!

Location:	Bridewell Lane, Bantry, Co. Cork
Opening Hours:	Monday - Friday: 7am - 6pm Saturday: 9am - 5pm
Tel:	00 353 (0)83 156 1766 [Mobile]
Email:	[email protected]
Website:	http://boxoffrogs.ie
	No
	Yes
TripAdvisor Reviews:	Yes
Facebook:	Yes
Twitter:	@BoxofFrogs5