Cork, City in Republic of Ireland - Best Travel Destination
Cork is a city in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and in the province of Munster. With a population of 119,230, it is the second largest city in the state and the third most populous on the island of Ireland.
FREE sights in County Cork Ireland
FREE sights in County Cork Ireland
Cork has about 100 castles and ruins of castles and it is the highest in Ireland. Dublin only has 65 by comparison.
I love exploring ruins and castles around Cork and photographing those. I hope you enjoy seeing some of those in this video.
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Drombeg Stone Circle, Most Visited Sites in Ireland
Drombeg stone circle, also known as The Druid's Altar is the most visited archaeological sites in Ireland. The site is located in West Cork, peaceful countryside.
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Ireland Travel | Three Castle Head | West Cork Travel | Dunlough | Irish Travel | Ireland Travels
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Ireland travel is about taking a journey into the magical. While taking a tour of Ireland you should always include time to travel West Cork and Mizen Head. You can experience more of the West Cork area and Mizen Head at my Ireland blog using the links above.
Whether you are walking the paths of the many parks, climbing the rocky hills, fishing from the rugged coastline, sitting on a sandy beach, taking photographs of the Irish countryside or cycling the winding roads; a tour of this scenic area of southwest County Cork, Ireland is a must.
Leaving the small village of Goleen you will head in the direction of Mizen Head ( Continue past the turn to Crookhaven, and you will approach the left turn for the Mizen Head Signal Station and Barley Cove. Keep going straight until you get to the T in the road. At the T, turn right and head into the beautiful pastureland of the Mizen and Dunlough area. The road will continue to wind for several kilometers until you come to Dunlough Pier.
Leave your car in the small parking area and head up the driveway of the farm. Because you are entering private property, be mindful of locking gates and not disturbing the livestock. It would be very sad to have the castles closed from visitors because of the trouble they caused.
On foot, follow the signs and well-worn tracks in the fields. The first part of the walk is fairly easy. It isn't until you get to the bigger hills that the climb becomes harder and the footing a bit uncertain. Upon climbing the first hill, a small, shallow valley will open up in front of you. Walk through this small depression and continue up the other side. As you approach the top of the rise, be prepared for the incredible site of Dunlough Castle.
With the castles now in view, the last part of the hike is a bit touchy as the track down is steep and rocky. But, before you head down the hill to the castles, take a moment to enjoy the views in every direction. If your camera isn't overheated yet, I'm not sure what it will take!
The castle itself has three different towers that are joined by a crumbling wall that rises to about 15' (5 meters) in height. For towers built eight hundred years ago, they are in magnificent shape. In no time, you will be climbing around the site letting your imagination go as you let the history of this place come over you. It is not too hard to imagine the people in and around the castle. If you look carefully through a security gate on the east side of the largest tower, you will see the bottom of a perfectly intact staircase leading up to a higher floor. What I would pay to be able to climb on those steps and see where they go.
Besides the towers, another prominent feature of the site is the lake. In typical Irish fashion, there is always a story, and the story I have heard goes something like this. While the king and his two sons were away at battle, word came back that two of them had been killed. To preserve the fortune of their house, the lady, or queen, threw all their worldly possessions and treasure into the lake. The story goes that if a person searches for the treasure with greed in their heart, the lady of the lake will come for them. Death will follow soon after. You have to love a good Irish story!
The walls around the lake are original walls. At the far east end of the lake, where the cliffs drop into Dunmanus Bay, there is also an original dam that holds the water. I have also been told that you can see small mounds near the castles that were part of a promontory fort that pre-dated the castles. I need to go back so that I can find them for myself!
After you have finished exploring the castle site, a walk up the hills past the towers is worth it. Up there you will find another lake, a stone monument used to measure the height of the hill and stunning views to the north. On a clear day, you will be able see Sheep's Head, the entrance to Bantry Bay and the mountains of County Kerry.
You can easily spend several hours enjoying all the different areas of Three Castle Head. You will be in a very remote place, and it is likely you won't see another person during your hike. What is an absolute must for this hike besides good shoes? A picnic and a thermos of tea. For some reason, tea tastes so much better while sitting on a cliff at Three Castle Head.
Planning your next vacation to Ireland? Don't forget to tour West Cork, Three Castle Head and Dunlough Castle.
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Track title: Arrival of Spring
License Type: Standard License
Publisher: SoundDogs
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Crookhaven atlantic ocean barley cove coastline goleen irish.
Countryside bantry bay county kerry mountains cycling photography.
Ireland's South West
- Ireland's South West presented by Michael Martin from Titanic Trail
Ireland Travel | West Cork Travel | Dunmanus Bay | Irish Travel | Ireland Travels | Time Lapse
ireland-travels.com
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Ireland travel is about taking a journey into the magical. While taking a tour of Ireland you should always include time to travel West Cork and Mizen Head. You can experience more of the West Cork area and Mizen Head at my Ireland blog using the links above.
Whether you are walking or backpacking on the paths of the many parks, climbing the rocky hills, fishing from the rugged coastline, sitting on a sandy beach, taking photographs of the Irish countryside or cycling the winding roads; a tour of this scenic area of southwest County Cork, Ireland is a must.
This video is time lapse taken at sunset on the backside of Mizen Head. Our family was renting a farmhouse in Dunkelly West, and the sky had been very cloudy for days. On this evening, the clouds finally started to break and gave a few beautiful glimpses of the illusive sun.
I used my GoPro Hero 2 camera and shot to the northwest overlooking Dunmanus Bay, and the tip of Sheep's Head in the distance. The video was taken June 11, 2012 between 8:00pm and 10:15pm local time.
Planning your next vacation filled with Irish travel? Don't forget to tour West Cork and experience all the beauty and charm it has to offer.
ireland-travels.com
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Track title: Scarborough Fair
License Type: Standard License
Composer: Bjorn Lynne (PRS - CAE: 272363273)
Publisher: Lynne Publishing (PRS - CAE: 541626758)
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Dunkelly west coastline irish countryside backside of the mizen backpacking northwest fishing beach cycling photographs cloudy parks fishing cycling.
Clonakilty, West Cork
Aerial footage of Clonakilty, West Cork.
Clonakilty, sometimes shortened to Clon, is a town in County Cork, Ireland. The town is located at the head of the tidal Clonakilty Bay. The rural hinterland is used mainly for dairy farming. The town's population as of 2016 was 4,592. The town is a tourism hub in West Cork, and was recognized as the Best Town in Europe in 2017, and Best Place of the Year in 2017 by the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland.
Pure Cork
Cork is a place filled with adventures of all sorts; discover for yourself the many captivating experiences that await in the county’s vibrant and cosmopolitan city, the wild and rugged landscapes of West Cork, and the endless stretches of sand and rock of Ireland’s longest coastline.
Rich in history and stunning scenery, it is an energetic county that will delight and surprise you at every turn.
The county’s landscape is incredibly diverse, with golden beaches, rocky coastlines and islands, to peaceful lakes, vast mountains, quiet, roaming countryside, and amazing walking and cycling routes.
As the last port of call before America, Cork is the best place to stimulate all of your senses – with fresh local produce straight from the lush green land and the Wild Atlantic waters; exhilarating music around every corner; and friendly locals, eager to talk and share stories with any traveller.
Cork County Council aims to encourage a planned community led tourism experience in Cork for national and international visitors to promote Cork as a must see visitor destination and to continue to assist in the development of the product offering.
Working with Failte Ireland, Local Development Companies, Tourism Service Providers and Local Communities, Cork County Council aims to maximise the economic return from tourism in Cork in terms of overseas visitor numbers, revenue and employment.
Interesting Facts about County Cork:
Cork is the gateway to both the Wild Atlantic Way and Ireland's Ancient East
Cork has Ireland's largest coastline of 1,100km which makes up 19% of the Irish coastline and covers an area of 7,459sq km which is 11% of the Irish State. This makes Cork Ireland’s largest county, with Cork harbour being the second largest natural harbour in the world.
Cork is the only port in Cork with a dedicated cruise berth in Cobh, East Cork, with in excess of 60 cruise liners visiting in 2016
Cork is renowned worldwide for its festivals including Mallow Racing Home for Easter Festival, Independence Music Festival, Cork Harbour Festival, A Taste of West Cork Food Festival, Masters of Tradition, West Cork Chamber Music Festival, Baltimore Fiddle Fair, Cork Guinness Jazz Festival, and many others
Cork is regarded as the food capital of Ireland with more than 350 artisan producers located in Cork which accounts for over 50% of the total producers in the state.
Union Hall, West Cork
Aerial footage of Unionhall, West Cork.
Union Hall is a small fishing village located in County Cork, Ireland, located on the west side of Glandore Harbour. Its nearest neighbour to the west is Castletownshend; to the east, Glandore Village. It is approximately 10 kilometers east of Skibbereen. The main source of employment is fishing and the pier has its own ice plant and fish processing factory.
Among its many tourist attractions are boat trips to view whales, dolphins and seals. Seals can be seen all year round, with dolphins and Fin Whales, Minke Whales and Humpback Whales present in summer months.
Lough Hyne, Skibbereen, Co Cork
Aerial footage of Lough Hyne, West Cork.
Lough Hyne (Irish: Loch Oighinn) is a marine lake in West Cork, Ireland, about 5 km southwest of Skibbereen. It was designated as Ireland's first Marine Nature Reserve in 1981.
Lough Hyne was probably a freshwater lake until about four millennia ago, when rising sea levels flooded it with saline ocean water. The lake is now fed by tidal currents that rush in from the Atlantic through Barloge Creek. The stretch between the creek and the lake is known as The Rapids. The lake's small size, only 0.8 km by 0.6 km, creates an unusual habitat of highly oxygenated yet warm seawater that sustains an enormous variety of plants and animals, many of which are not found anywhere else in Ireland. A wide variety of environments such as cliffs, salt marsh, beach, and areas of greatly varying water movement add to the area's biodiversity. Some of the seawalls around the lake and the Rapids were built as relief work during the Great Hunger.
Scientific investigation of the area began in 1886 when Rev. William Spottswood Green first recorded the presence of the purple sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus. Prof. Louis Renouf resumed the scientific work in 1923 and promoted it as a 'biological station' and sustained studies have been carried out there since then. It is now one of the most-studied sites of its size in the world. Several laboratories were constructed near the shores of the lake, supporting ground-breaking ecological research under Prof. Jack Kitching and Dr John Ebling. An illustrated history of the marine research was published in 2011 'Lough Hyne: The Marine Researchers - in Pictures'.
The area is a tourist attraction with a permanent exhibition on the lough and its importance at nearby Skibbereen Heritage Centre. The ruins of Saint Bridgit's Church are on the shores of the lake, as well as holy wells, Tobarín Súl and Skour Well, on the side of Knockomagh Hill. Castle Island is located in the center of the lake where the ruins of Cloghan Castle, once a fortress of the O'Driscoll clan, are still visible. A nature trail up Knockomagh Hill offers superb views of the lough and the surrounding area. Lough Hyne is a popular kayaking and swimming destination for locals and tourists in the summer.