Kilcrohane () is a village in County Cork, Ireland. It is the last coastal village on the Sheep's Head Peninsula after

Durrus Durrus () is a village and civil parish in West Cork in Ireland. It is situated from Bantry in County Cork, at the head of the Sheep's Head and the Mizen Head peninsulas. Durrus is on the Wild Atlantic Way driving route which spans the ...

and Ahakista. Kilcrohane lies under the 'Shadow of Seefin' (the area's highest hill) and is also close to

Caher Mountain Caher Mountain ( = "stone ring-fort") is a hill, 338 metres high, with views of the Sheep's Head peninsula, roughly west of and above the village of Kilcrohane in County Cork, Ireland. Location Caher Mountain is located approximately 15 km f ...

. The village overlooks

Dunmanus Bay Dunmanus Bay is a bay in County Cork, Ireland. The bay lies between Mizen Head to the south and Sheep's Head to the north with the small village of Durrus at the head of the bay. The bay is out of the main tidal flow with no significant rivers ...

Cill Crochain

'Cill Crochain' is Irish for the 'Church of Crochan'. Little is known about Crochan except that he is reputed to have lived around the time of

Saint Patrick Saint Patrick ( la, Patricius; ga, Pádraig ; cy, Padrig) was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, the other patron saints be ...

(mid 5th century). Some believe Crochan was from

County Kerry County Kerry ( gle, Contae Chiarraí) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and forms part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county. The population of the co ...

, near Caherdaniel where there are two ruined churches named after him and a village also called Kilcrohane. There is a ruined church in the grounds of the cemetery in Kilcrohane, thought to be where Crohan built his cell.

Tourism

The seaside village of Kilcrohane increases in population in the summer months. It has two pubs, a café gallery, three restaurants and a coffee shop (open in July and August). The local shop is a post office and filling station. There is also a local co-operative shop selling local produce, arts and crafts. There are a number of Bed and Breakfasts, several self-catering holiday accommodations, and a garage/repair shop that also rents bicycles. The Kilcrohane pier is used for swimming, and there are a number of private coves along the coast. There is pollock and

mackerel Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of pelagic fish, mostly from the family Scombridae. They are found in both temperate and tropical seas, mostly living along the coast or offshore in the oceanic environment. ...

in Dunmanus Bay. Kilcrohane has a primary school and a church. There is daily transportation to secondary schools in

Bantry Bantry () is a town in the civil parish of Kilmocomoge in the barony of Bantry on the southwest coast of County Cork, Ireland. It lies in West Cork at the head of Bantry Bay, a deep-water gulf extending for to the west. The Beara Peninsula is ...

and public transportation to Bantry twice a week. There is also a community field and hall and a children's playground with tennis court.

Sheep's Head Way

Kilcrohane is base for the hill walking route, the Sheep's Head Way. The Sheep's Head Way features over 60 miles of marked maintained hill and road walking routes with views of Bantry and Dunmanus Bays. The area also has marked road cycling route.

Museum and gallery

The Alice West Centre, a museum focusing on the life and art of the late English-born artist Alice West, is open during the summer months and is run by the Muintir Bhaire Community Council. Alice West bequeathed her estate to the community, and the museum displays local artifacts, crafts, and artwork. The White House Gallery and coffee shop is a gallery space that retains a few fixtures of the White House Bar. Situated one mile west of Kilcrohane, it lays at a crossroads at which, according to its website, people would "travel across the water from Beara and the Mizen to meet, play music, sing and dance".

Festivals

Kilcrohane has a number of festivals throughout the year, including the 'Craic on the Coast' traditional music festival which takes place annually on Easter weekend. A 'Kilcrohane Carnival' is also held every year on the third week of July (depending on the weather). This carnival features a number of events, races, a track and field event, and fishing competition.

Notable people

Aonghus O'Daly In Irish mythology, Aengus or Óengus is one of the Tuatha Dé Danann and probably originally a god associated with youth, love,Ó hÓgáin, Dáithí. ''Myth, Legend & Romance: An encyclopedia of the Irish folk tradition''. Prentice-Hall Pres ...

(1570-1617), bardic poet, was born in the Kilcrohane townland of Cora * Patrick Joseph Sullivan (1885-1935), U.S. Senator for Wyoming, was born in the area *

J. G. Farrell James Gordon Farrell (25 January 1935 – 11 August 1979) was an English-born novelist of Irish descent. He gained prominence for a series of novels known as "the Empire Trilogy" (''Troubles'', ''The Siege of Krishnapur'' and ''The Singapore Gri ...

(1935-1979), writer, lived in Kilcrohane * Denis O'Donovan (b.1955), senator, is from the area * Ralph Fiennes (b.1962), actor, briefly lived here in the 1970s and attended Kilcrohane National School * Christy Moore (b.1945), folk singer, had a property here * Ivor Callely (b.1958), former politician and senator, also has a holiday residence here

References

{{reflist Towns and villages in County Cork