Things to see and do in Skibbereen and the surrounding areas

Planning a trip to West Cork?

Here is your ultimate guide to the top things to do and see in Skibbereen and the surrounding areas.

JUNE:

Art Exhibition: June 20th to July 16th:

One of the highlights of the summer programme at Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre is the Members and Friends Exhibition. It features a diverse range of artworks by artists from West Cork and beyond, including painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, print, and mixed media.

JULY:

Classical Recitals: June 29th and July 16th:

As part of the wider programme at the Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre is the West Cork Chamber Music Festival Fringe concert at Uillinn at 12.30pn on Monday 29th June and the wonderful Barefoot Baroque will be returning at 2.30pm on Thursday July 16th.

RunSkibb: July 10th to 12th:

Skibbereen's biggest fitness and community weekend is back bringing together sport, music, and local pride for a three‑day celebration of movement and community. This year, all proceeds will be shared among five deserving local causes: RNLI, Cancer Connect, Friends of Skibbereen Day Care Centre, West Cork Warrior and the Skibbereen Luncheon Club.

Agricultural Show: Thursday July 16th:

If you are in town do not miss Skibbereen Agriculture Show! First established in 1836, Carbery Show is a fabulous collection of indoor cooking and crafts with outdoor cattle and horse classes, including some big qualifiers for national events, and lots of food, coffee and ice-cream trucks to satisfy every craving.

Skibbereen Arts Festival: July 24th to August 2nd:

The programme of events is available on the festival’s website at skibbereenartsfestival.com The festival will feature its usual vibrant mix of music, theatre, film, visual arts and spoken word events, with something for all ages and interests to enjoy throughout the week. A highlight will be the Oscar Winning Movies Street Party on Bridge Street on Friday 24th, so get your costume ready for a fun night of music, dancing and much more. @skibbartsfest on Instagram.

Solo Exhibition: Saturday July 25th:

Another must-see event this summer is Love beyond the species and the sexual, a solo exhibition by West Cork-based artist Siobhán McGibbon. This compelling show of sculptural installations, engaging all the senses is part of the Skibbereen Arts Festival.

AUGUST:

Fit-up Theatre: August:

During the month of August visitors can expect to find a number of plays in a number of community settings from Skibbereen to Ballydehob to Bere Island courtesy of The Fit-up Theatre group. The annual festival was developed to provide rural communities with the opportunity to sample what professional theatre has to offer. For more information about this year's plays email: [email protected].

West Cork History Festival: August 7th to 9th:

The major theme for this year's West Cork History Festival will be boundaries: setting them and crossing them. There is much to recommend in the three-day programme, across two event spaces, at the beautiful Inish Beg Estate, near Baltimore. www.westcorkhistoryfestival.org

West Cork Food Festival – Savour the Flavour in Skibbereen: Sunday August 30th:

The festival will return for the second year on Sunday August 30th and put a spotlight on all that artisan producers and craft workers living locally. The atmosphere, support and attendance at the inaugural event exceeded expectations and demonstrated the appetite for a flagship food event in the town.

Weekly Market: Saturdays 9am to 2pm:

Skibbereen's famous weekly market has about 120 stalls at the peak of the summer season so there's lots of local produce to sample and crafts to admire.

SEPTEMBER:

Culture Night: September 18th:

Culture Night is a celebration of all things Irish through free cultural events in towns and cities across the island of Ireland. Arts and cultural organisations in Skibbereen open their doors with free events, talks and performances for everyone to enjoy.

Walking Festival: September 25th to 27th:

Skibbereen Walking Group assists Skibbereen and District Chamber of Commerce, with the annual Skibbereen Walking Festival. It's a great weekend to come to Skibbereen and join guided walks for all abilities through the quiet country roads, coastal trails, and historical landmarks of West Cork.

BALTIMORE & ISLANDS:

JUNE:

Baltimore Pirate Festival: June 19th to 21st:

The festival is a celebration of Baltimore's rich maritime heritage, its historic links with piracy and privateering, and remembers the dramatic events of the Sack of Baltimore in 1631, when Barbary pirates raided the village and carried more than 100 residents into captivity.

Lavender Festival: June 27th and 28th:

It began as a community project to find a crop complimenting Cape Clear Island's unique character but now it boasts a festival that gives visitors the opportunity to see the best that the island at its best. There is a full programme of events on June 27th and 28th.

O’Driscoll Clan Gathering June 25th to 28th:

O'Driscolls from many lands attend the three-day gathering. The annual programme of events includes a reception where people first get to know others in the international O'Driscoll family, a lecture on some aspect of O'Driscoll heritage, a book launch, an exhibition, story-telling and singing sessions and visits to historic sites.

Baltimore Concert: June 26th:

Singer Freddie White will be performing at St Matthew's Church in Baltimore on Friday June 26th.

Weekly Market: Saturdays 11am to 2pm:

Baltimore Community Market was established to encourage sustainability. It's a market, held in the local community hall, that runs every Sunday from 11am till 2pm with the emphasis on local produce. The market hosts a variety of fresh produce and crafts.

Wild Atlantic Pool: Open Daily:

Baltimore’s swimming pool – The Wild Atlantic Pool – is open year-round to locals and tourists alike and is a noted attraction on The Wild Atlantic Way, particularly on wet days! The Centre also runs Summer Camps for kids and you can even hire the entire pool for a private party.

August:

Baltimore Regatta: August 1st to 3rd:

While competition on the water is keen, regatta day in Baltimore will offer more than just sailing because this is traditionally it is a time when people flock to the beautiful seaside village to relax, enjoy the spectacle of yachts racing in the harbour, and join the festive atmosphere on shore.

Baltimore Concert: August 16th:

Dogtail Soup will be giving a performance at St Matthew's Church in Baltimore on Sunday August 16th.

Deep Sea Angling Festival: August 27th to 30th:

Ireland's oldest sea angling competition is famous for exciting fishing and great company. Baltimore has played host to this annual event for 58 years. The four-day competition has an international flavour and usually attracts around 70 anglers from around Ireland and abroad.

SEPTEMBER:

Cape Clear's International Storytelling Festival: September 4th to 6th:

The Cape Clear International Storytelling Festival, which was established in 1994, has a well-established reputation for offering superb storytelling in spectacular surroundings.

Culture Night: September 18th:

OCTOBER:

Baltimore Concert: October 1st:

The 4 of Us will be in concert at St Matthew's Church in Baltimore on Thursday October 1st.

SCHULL & BALLYDEHOB:

JUNE:

Ballydehob's Fastnet Maritime and Folk Festival: June 19th to 21st:

This annual festival in Ballydehob is a jovial mix of all things maritime, as well as traditional and contemporary folk music, sea songs and shanties with dancing and craft displays, workshops throughout the village.

Weekly Market: Sunday from 10am until 2pm:

Schull Country Market offers an array of locally produced goods from food, crafts, home bakes, pottery, paintings, jewellery, coffee, takeaways and much more. All of the stallholders live within a forty-mile radius of Schull, so you can be sure that what you choose really is local and you get to actually meet the people who grew, produced, baked and made the products.

Scoraicht Night: Last Friday of each month:

This is a great night at the Irish Whip in Ballydehob for house musicians, singers and storytellers to get out and have fun.

JULY:

Ballydehob's Vintage Vehicle Fun Run: July 5th:

The annual vintage, tractor, car and motorcycle run is a popular annual event that also serves as a great fundraiser for local charities.

AUGUST:

Schull Regatta Festival: August 8th and 9th:

This festival offers lots of free, family‑friendly fun along the stunning shores of Schull. It's a weekend packed with activities including crab fishing, treasure hunt, art competition, tug-o-war, net mending, heaving line, live music, regatta soccer, raft race and lots more!

Ballydehob Summer and Old Boat Festival: August 15th to 23rd:

Perfectly timed in mid-August, these events are a great way to round off the summer before schools starts back up. It's a full week of rural fun and games including charades, competitions, crab fishing, historic walks, live music, and the 'World Championship Turnip Races.' The programme also incorporates the annual Old Boat Gathering.

Bank House: Closed on Sundays:

Ballydehob is fortunate to have Bank House, the former AIB bank, which was bought by the Community Council, and is now used as a tourist office, as well as a community centre. Recently, the Bank House got a complete energy retrofit and upgrade, making it one of the most energy efficient buildings in the area.

Fit-up Theatre: August:

During the month of August visitors can expect to find a number of plays in a number of community settings from Skibbereen to Ballydehob to Bere Island courtesy of The Fit-up Theatre group. Based on the original fit-ups of the 1950’s this festival was developed to provide rural communities an opportunity to sample the wealth and talent professional theatre has to offer. For more information about this year's plays email: [email protected].

Art Museum: Closed on Sundays:

Bank House is also home to the Ballydehob Arts Museum that sets out how Ballydehob became a creative hub for West Cork. It celebrates Ballydehob’s unique place as centre of an iconic arts and crafts movement between 1950 and 1990 by assembling, cataloguing and displaying a donated permanent collection of works from that era. While BAM hosts annual exhibitions of the available works, its website acts as an archive of artist biographies, stories and representations of their works.

Art Studios: Open weekly:

Ballydehob's creative community is fortunate to have the Working Artist Studios that is run by artists for artists and art lovers, and combines studios and a gallery space, a print room and in 'Outer Space.' a cosy venue for poetry and music evenings, a film club and art happenings, lectures and discussions. It also has The Aisling Art Gallery, which is situated in the heart of Ballydehob, West Cork, above Rosie's Bar, in fact, that hosts wonderful work by locally and nationally acclaimed artists.

Car Boot Sale: One Sunday per month:

Check locally for the date for the monthly car boot sale that draws vintage shoppers from all over West Cork.

Traditional Music: Fridays from 7pm to 9pm.

Every Friday there is a weekly traditional music session in Ballydehob that rotates between Rosie's Bar, The Sandboat, Vincent Coughlan's, and Levis’ Corner Bar. And on the last Friday of each month, there's always a great Scoraicht Night at the Irish Whip with musicians, singers and storytellers in attendance.

SEPTEMBER:

Culture Night: September 18th:

Culture Night is a celebration of all things Irish through free cultural events in towns and cities across the island of Ireland. Arts and cultural organisations in Schull and Ballydehob open their doors with free events, talks and performances for everyone to enjoy.

OCTOBER:

Old Time Threshing and Vintage Festival: October 25th and 26th:

Before settling in for winter, Ballydehob has one last hurrah with its Old Time Threshing and Vintage Festival over the October Bank Holiday weekend with lots for locals and visitors to see, do and enjoy.

CASTLETOWNSHEND

The Guardian newspaper got it right when it listed the historic village of Castletownshend as one of Ireland’s top ten most charming villages.

The 200, or so, residents of Castletownshend – which developed around a 17th-century castle that was built by Richard Townsend – certainly value and protect its old-world charm. Although one of West Cork’s smallest villages, its historic appeal, and Harry Clarke stained glass windows at St Barrahane’s Church, combine to attract a staggering number of visitors each year. Castletownshend is a wonderful place to enjoy fabulous food, and a walk down and back up the famously steep hill!

UNION HALL

Union Hall, a thriving fishing village located on the western side of Glandore Harbour comes fully formed with several destination restaurants, a great supermarket, a fish shop, traditional pubs, quirky cafés, a playground and sporting grounds. Its popularity does have something to do with the fact that it was the location for the Netflix series Bodkin in recent years, as well as the David Puttnam-produced War of the Buttons film, but more than that, people have come to value Union Hall as a beautiful, unspoiled traditional village.

GLANDORE

Idyllic is a word that is often used to describe the coastal village of Glandore because this small, perfectly formed village is perched on a short but steep hill that has immediate and stunning views of the sea. What adds to the charm of the village is that it has, almost in French Riviera-style, terraces with all-day outdoor dining. The unrivalled sea views give Glandore a distinctly Mediterranean feel, especially as members of the local Sailing Club do their thing.

LEAP

Leap (pronounced ‘Lep’), on the main road between Rosscarbery and Skibbereen has a beautifully matured community garden, parish hall, historic church, music venue, nice eateries and popular playground, as well as stunning walking routes, Myross Wood, and its unique Centre for Climate Action and Sustainability, otherwise known as Cecas. Be sure to check out its beautiful community garden on the western end, and it’s famous scarecrow festival in October has really put it on the map in recent years!

DROMBEG

On a historical and cultural level, Glandore comes out tops with Drombeg Stone Circle, which is one of the most visited megalithic sites in all of Ireland. The site, which is also known as The Druid’s Altar, is a small axial stone circle located about 2km from the centre of Glandore village and can be included as part of a fantastic loop walk.

AMENITY PARK

The Leap amenity park was a major undertaking and now the colourful mature gardens are a worthy showcase of all that effort. With parking at the side of the road, it’s definitely worth a stop to see the spectacular view it offers along the estuary alone. The recently developed area, which features a community garden, seating area, and a viewing platform that is fully wheelchair and buggy- accessible. The facility first took shape when Leap resident, the late Michael Crowley, came up with the idea that the council should purchase a piece of land at the head of the Union Hall Estuary from the Sacred Heart Missionaries at Myross Wood. It showed great vision and today the garden is enjoyed by locals and visitors alike.

PARK

The Black Field right in the middle of the village of Union Hall is another major resource because it is immediately accessible to the public. One of its attractions is its bug hotel, but there is also a park to walk around and a playground, plus tennis courts, and two picnic tables where people can sit and enjoy some al fresco dining.

BRIDGE

Poulgorm Bridge, on the regional road to Glandore, Rosscarbery and Leap, is worth a holiday snap or two because it is only one lane wide, so traffic must wait for the bridge to be clear before crossing. The bridge, which was built in the 1890s, also famously featured in David Puttnam’s 1994 film, War of the Buttons.

WALKWAYS

There are some beautiful walks around Union Hall, suitable for varying abilities. The Village Heritage Walk is 2.9km and takes in the village, Causeway, Keelbeg Harbour and the pier. The Lake Walk is 7.6km, leaving the Causeway and climbing the steep hill after the old Post Office, taking in views of Poulgorm Bridge and Rabbit Island, before visiting Carrighilly, once a fishing village of 700 inhabitants, and Lough Cluhir. There is also the 10.2km Three Island Walk, 12.5km Stags View Walk and 11.7km Reen Walk. See unionhallwalks.ie for full details.

ON THE SEA

It will come as no surprise that water-based activities are both popular and accessible in Union Hall, with local operators offering three to four-hour guided tours, as well as family kayaking adventures. Whale watching and sea angling charters are some of the reasons that people continue to return to Union Hall time and time again.

MEMORIAL

When you are in Union Hall do take the time to visit the wonderfully sensitive memorial to the fishermen who lost their lives in the Tit Bonhomme tragedy in January 2012. Casualties at sea are not something that has defined this village, but its heroic response has. It is not for nothing that the people who supported the month-long search with homes and hospitality were presented with a People of the Year Award in September 2012.

DROMILLIHY WOODS

Located just east of Leap on the road to Connonagh/Rosscarbery, Dromilihy is a gem hidden in plain sight. A 20-30-minute loop walk around this mature woodland will put you in form for anything, and the kids will love to spot and count the fairy houses along the way. The path is in very good repair overall but be prepared for a couple of short, steep, but very manageable inclines.

ALPACA WALK WEST CORK

Recharge your spirit on a scenic coastal alpaca walk! Meet these gentle animals at Seaside Alpacas near Union Hall and lead one yourself on a guided walk along the coast with lovely views from Galley Head to Toe Head. Take part in our Alpaca Fibre Craft and you can even learn to spin some alpaca yarn yourself.

Farm visitor programmes run all year round, but it’s best to check availability, as well as book, online on their website: www.seasidealpacas.com.

GLANDORE GARDENS

The gardens in the middle of Glandore village overlook the harbour and there is always something to watch on (and in) the water. You might even get lucky and see dolphins – there have been some incredible sightings recently with large pods coming in to feed. There is a memorial to local man Sean Hayes, West Cork’s first TD (member of the Irish parliament). Picnic tables and public toilets make these gardens an ideal spot to stop off for a break.

TREES

The two sycamore trees in the middle of Castletownshend have got to be the most unusual feature of any village in terms of their location, right in the middle of the road, and they are so highly thought of that one of the local distilleries has named a range of its spirits ‘Two Trees’ in their honour.

KNOCKDRUM

With well-signposted pedestrian access from the main Skibbereen Road into Castletownshend, the Knockdrum circular stone fort is listed as a national monument. Almost 30m in diameter, and with walls that are three-metres wide, it is a remarkable and freely accessible amenity. But it is its vantage point at the top of a hill and looking out over the sea that leaves an indelible impression. When you are there, be sure to look across the land, away from the sea, and you will see in the distance ‘The Three Fingers’, which is the reputed burial place of a druid.

MYROSS WOOD

Tucked just outside Leap village, Myross Wood offers a lush woodland escape steeped in history. Once part of the 18th-century Myross Estate, the grounds surround a grand house built around 1820 and later used as a church seminary and environmental centre. It is a unique place for a leisurely stroll. Along the way, visitors can enjoy glimpses of the West Cork landscape and the calm of an unspoiled setting. Myross Wood is perfect for walkers, families, and anyone seeking a slower pace. Restoration work is ongoing to enhance this special place for nature and for people.

CHURCHES

There are two churches in Castletownshend, both called St Barrahane’s – one a Catholic church located a mile from the village centre, and a Church of Ireland, which is located at the bottom of the hill in the village. The latter is famous for having not one, but two, Harry Clarke stained glass windows, which are a major tourist attraction in their own right. The church is accessible seven days a week. While you are there check out the historic graveyard, which includes the burial plot of Edith Sommerville and Martin Ross, authors of The Irish RM. There’s also a mass grave for victims of the Lusitania tragedy in the graveyard, and an oar from the ship’s lifeboat is on display inside the door of the church.

CASTLE

With the stunning Castletownshend castle offering boutique accommodation at the water’s edge at one end of the village and Drishane House at the other, there is plenty to fascinate visitors.

Drishane House was awarded the 2024 Irish Historic Houses O’Flynn prize for outstanding dedication to preserving and enhancing Ireland’s historic homes. It has been the home of the Somerville family for nine generations, or nearly 250 years. Visitors can explore the garden, museum and house. Both the Castle and Drishane have holiday cottages to let, and Drishane House too can be booked for short-term stays.