The Baltimore Pirate Festival returns to Baltimore this June following a short hiatus, and The Algiers gastropub, the only pub in West Cork offering craft cocktails, is ready to make waves with a weekend of bold drinks, disco dancing, and pirate mischief from Friday, June 20th until Sunday June 22nd.
The festival commemorates the village’s storied maritime past, from its centuries-old role as a pirate stronghold under the O’Driscoll clan to the dramatic events of the Sack of Balitmore in 1631, when Algerian pirates raided the village and captured over 100 residents, taking them to North Africa. While the Sack of Baltimore remains a defining moment in local lore, the festival honours a broader and more colourful history, where piracy was, for centuries, central to the town’s economy and identity.
In a playful nod to this legacy, The Algiers - named after the pirates’ North African base - is marking the occasion with a lively programme of events and a special festival cocktail collaboration with Poachers Ginger Beer and Blacks of Kinsale Rum.
Highlights of the weekend include the limited-edition ‘Dark and Stormy’ cocktail, the ‘Rock the Boat’ sunset disco cruise, and a pirate fancy dress party. Throughout the weekend, the village will host live music in the village square, historical walking tours, food stalls, and family-friendly activities.
The Algiers pub stands in the shadow of the Dún Na Séad Castle, once the seat of power of the infamous O’Driscoll clan. For centuries, and up until the establishment of the pub, Baltimore was a haven for smugglers and pirates. Rumours persist that it operated as an illicit síbín under the guise of a bakery and shop. In 1892, Beamish and Crawford Brewery formally established a pub on the site to coincide with the arrival of the Cork, Bandon, and South Coast Railway, marking the end of Baltimore’s long illicit trade and piracy history.
