West Cork

West Cork sets itself apart in the beautiful South West corner of Ireland – stretching from Kinsale near Cork City to the three rugged Westerly peninsulas reaching into the wild Atlantic: Mizen Head, Sheep’s Head and the Beara Peninsula and inland to the Lee Valley.

The coastline has hundreds of tiny inlets and coves, dotted with sandy beaches and safe harbours. This is the area for whale-watching, kayaking, sailing, diving, island hopping, bird watching, swimming or enjoying culinary delights in many towns and villages on this spectacular coastline.
West Cork has a wonderful food culture thanks to a milder climate and its gentle generous nature. Its award-winning artisan food producers and chefs are known for their culinary revolution and you can enjoy this great food in many pubs, restaurants, farmers markets and food festivals.
The landscape is constantly changing around every bend in the road, from the crashing Atlantic Ocean on the Beara, Sheeps Head and Mizen Peninsulas to the quiet of our unpolluted lakes and peaceful river valleys. There are hundreds of miles of roads to travel, lots of islands to explore, gardens well worth visiting, and lots of people to talk to on your way. This is an area of strong traditions, ancient culture and many relics from our past with standing stones, old forts and castles dotted throughout the colourful landscape. 

Suggested things to see and do

Make a worthwhile trip to the old creamery shop at ‘Toonsbridge Dairy’ where Irish Mozzarella and Ricotta is lovingly made by Toby Simmonds and Johnny Lynch. At the weekends, light lunch and home baking is served in the Creamery Cafe by the affable Jenny- Rose. A chat with Toby in the shop and everything from olives to Serrano Ham is discussed and can be bought here.

Visit Drombeg Stone Circle, Kealkill Stone Circle, Carriganass Castle at Kealkill,  Timoleague Abbey, Kinneigh Round Tower and hundreds of relics from our ancient Celtic past, West Cork is full of archaeology.

Ballyvourney is also in the Gaeltacht and has a wonderful intimate theatre/concert space called ‘An Ionad Culturtha’ It hosts a variety of concerts and cultural events and is a very enjoyable night, just a 25 minute drive from us.

Bantry is just 17 miles away and hosts wonderful summer schools, a well known literary festival with a great line-up of poets and writers, an international chamber music festival and a traditional Irish music school every summer with all events bookable on line.


If gardening is your passion, follow the West Cork Garden Trail, with artistic sculpture gardens and impressive colonial gardens to choose from, all amazing and possible in a day trip.

Drop into Val Manning at Manning’s Emporium in Ballylickey for a huge selection of   great West Cork cheese and artisan products or a cup of excellent coffee and an informative food chat on your way to walk part of the award-winning ‘Sheeps Head Way’ have a slice of homemade cake in the little traditional café en route to the lighthouse at the ‘edge of the world.’

Fridays in Bantry square, with the farmers market in full swing, stroll around and meet the Cheesemakers, from Gubbeen to Milleens, see stands with olives, feta and homemade soaps, Bric-a-brac, organic vegetables and meat, fresh fish, crepes from a van, and take time to meet the makers and bakers.

Wander from the market to Bantry House and Gardens, home to the Shelswell-White family for generations, with views of Bantry Bay and Whiddy Island

Walk the suspension bridge onto The Mizen Lighthouse (Ireland’s Most South Westerly point) walk the beach at Barleycove and chat about the day in O’Sullivan’s bar in Crookhaven over a pint of stout or a bowl of chowder.

Golf your way around West Cork starting in Bantry Bay Golf Club, with spectacular views, The Old Head of Kinsale and Maureen O’Hara’s favourite Glengarriff ..

Take a short ferry trip, (keep an eye out for the tiger seals) to Ilnacullin / Garnish Island in Glengarriff to enjoy its sub-tropical Italian gardens and walks. Continue on the Beara Peninsula through the colourful villages of Adrigole and Eyeries, maybe a trip on the cable car to Dursey Island (keep an eye out for the whales) which is a renowned whale watching haven. There is Bere Island and Cape Clear to be explored too…the days just aren’t long enough!

Go Kayaking with Jim at Atlantic Sea- kayaking in Union Hall and experience the open water by day and night.

Dive ancient shipwrecks from Baltimore with Aquaventures or learn diving and snorkelling in these beautiful clear coastal waters.

Experience our more recent history of Rebel Cork,  visit  the monuments of our past at Kilmicheal, Béal na Bláth and Crossbarry and the Micheal Collins centre in Clonakilty.

Drive one of the many loops we can help you create, depending on your interests, to bring in all the scenery, villages and towns in West Cork including Kinsale, Rosscarbery, Clonalikty, Ballydehob, Schull, Goleen, Bantry, Dunmanway, Cactletownbere, Glengarriffe, The Borlin Valley etc…The possibilities are endless and waiting to be explored.