
West Cork () is a tourist region and
municipal district
A municipal district is an administrative entity comprising a clearly-defined territory and its population. It may be a city, a town, a village, a small grouping of them, or a rural area.
Brazil
In Brazil, municipal districts are, in general, su ...
in
County Cork
County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...
,
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
. As a municipal district, West Cork falls within the administrative area of
Cork County Council,
and includes the towns of
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 i ...
,
Castletownbere,
Clonakilty,
Dunmanway
Dunmanway (, official Irish name: ) is a market town in County Cork, in the southwest of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is the geographical centre of the region known as West Cork. It is the birthplace of Sam Maguire, an Irish Protestant repub ...
,
Schull and
Skibbereen
Skibbereen (; ) is a town in County Cork, Ireland. It is located in West Cork on the N71 national secondary road. The River Ilen runs through the town; it reaches the sea about 12 kilometres away, at the seaside village of Baltimore. Located ...
, and the 'key villages' of
Baltimore
Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
,
Ballydehob,
Courtmacsherry,
Drimoleague,
Durrus,
Glengarriff,
Leap,
Rosscarbery,
Timoleague and
Union Hall.
The westernmost part of the region consists of three main peninsulas:
Beara,
Sheep's Head and
Mizen Head. Islands which lie off West Cork include
Bere Island,
Sherkin Island and
Cape Clear.
History and administration
The area's pre-history is evident in the many
Iron Age
The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...
burial monuments, including a large number of
megalithic tombs,
dolmen
A dolmen, () or portal tomb, is a type of single-chamber Megalith#Tombs, megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the Late Neolithic period (4000 ...
s,
standing stones and
stone circle
A stone circle is a ring of megalithic standing stones. Most are found in Northwestern Europe – especially Stone circles in the British Isles and Brittany – and typically date from the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, with most being ...
s.
West Cork has had a distinct identity from at least the ancient
Dáirine
The Dáirine (Dárine, Dáirfine, Dáirfhine, Dárfine, Dárinne, Dairinne), later known dynastically as the Corcu Loígde and associated, were the proto-historical rulers of Munster before the rise of the Eóganachta in the 7th century AD. They ...
kingdom of
Corcu Loígde
The Corcu Loígde (Corcu Lóegde, Corco Luigde, Corca Laoighdhe, Laidhe), meaning Gens of the Calf Goddess, also called the Síl Lugdach meic Itha, were a kingdom centred in West County Cork who descended from the proto-historical rulers of M ...
which once covered much of the area. The
historic baronies of
Carbery, the largest barony in Ireland down to the nineteenth-century,
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 i ...
, and
Bear, or Bere, on Beara Peninsula, existed down from the Middle Ages. A series of coastal islands, on the coast of the baronies of Carbery West and Carbery East, are known as
Carbery's Hundred Isles.
A
Spanish expedition made landfall on the coast in October 1601 attempting to link up with Irish rebels. This ended with the
Battle of Kinsale - described as "one of the decisive battles of the world's history. If the Irish had won that battle—and they could have won it—...England's power was shattered". In the early 17th century, the
townland
A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...
of Leamcon (near Schull was a
pirate stronghold, and
pirates traded easily in Baltimore and
Whiddy Island.
During the mid-19th century, parts of West Cork were severely impacted by the
Great Famine.
Within the
Catholic Church in Ireland and the
Church of Ireland (Anglican) traditions, the coastal area from
Ballydehob to
Timoleague was formerly contained within the
Dioceses of Ross. These dioceses no longer exist separately, and now form part of the larger
Roman Catholic Diocese of Cork and Ross and the
Church of Ireland Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross respectively.
As of the 21st century, West Cork is a
municipal district
A municipal district is an administrative entity comprising a clearly-defined territory and its population. It may be a city, a town, a village, a small grouping of them, or a rural area.
Brazil
In Brazil, municipal districts are, in general, su ...
within the administrative area of
Cork County Council.
The district is represented by 9 councillors, and the West Cork Municipal District Office is in Clonakilty.
Geography

The region's western terrain was formed between 360 and 374 million years ago, as part of the rising of the
MacGillycuddy's Reeks and
Caha Mountains mountains ranges. This occurred during the
Devonian period when Ireland was part of a larger continental landmass and located south of the
equator
The equator is the circle of latitude that divides Earth into the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Southern Hemisphere, Southern Hemispheres of Earth, hemispheres. It is an imaginary line located at 0 degrees latitude, about in circumferen ...
. There are three main peninsulas on this side of the region:
Beara,
Sheep's Head and
Mizen Head.
Towns in West Cork include
Ballydehob,
Bandon,
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 i ...
,
Castletownbere,
Clonakilty,
Dunmanway
Dunmanway (, official Irish name: ) is a market town in County Cork, in the southwest of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is the geographical centre of the region known as West Cork. It is the birthplace of Sam Maguire, an Irish Protestant repub ...
,
Rosscarbery,
Schull, and
Skibbereen
Skibbereen (; ) is a town in County Cork, Ireland. It is located in West Cork on the N71 national secondary road. The River Ilen runs through the town; it reaches the sea about 12 kilometres away, at the seaside village of Baltimore. Located ...
.
Transport
The area was linked in 1849 by the
Cork, Bandon and South Coast Railway
The Cork, Bandon and South Coast Railway (CB&SCR) was an Irish gauge () railway in Ireland. It opened in 1849 as the Cork and Bandon Railway (C&BR), changed its name to Cork Bandon and South Coast Railway in 1888 and became part of the Great S ...
, sometimes known as the West Cork Railway. This railway line began in Cork City, travelled across the county and had branches to Clonakilty (junction at Gaggin) and Skibbereen (junction at Drimoleague), before terminating at
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 i ...
. It closed in 1961. The narrow-gauge
Schull and Skibbereen Railway opened in 1886 and closed in 1947.
The main infrastructural backbone is provided by the
N71 and
R586 routes.
Tourism
Traditionally a tourist destination, the West Cork area is marketed to tourists for its remote peninsulas (such as the
Beara Peninsula,
Sheep's Head and
Mizen Head peninsulas), beaches such as
Inchydoney, Owenahincha and
Barleycove, and towns and villages such as
Skibbereen
Skibbereen (; ) is a town in County Cork, Ireland. It is located in West Cork on the N71 national secondary road. The River Ilen runs through the town; it reaches the sea about 12 kilometres away, at the seaside village of Baltimore. Located ...
,
Clonakilty,
Kinsale
Kinsale ( ; ) is a historic port and fishing town in County Cork, Ireland. Located approximately south of Cork (city), Cork City on the southeast coast near the Old Head of Kinsale, it sits at the mouth of the River Bandon, and has a populatio ...
and
Rosscarbery. For tourism purposes, the area of West Cork is not strictly defined, but at its broadest definition it includes all parts of County Cork south and west of the
River Lee with the exception of Cork city and suburbs. Road signs may be found around Cork city and elsewhere directing traffic for "The West" or "West Cork".
The
Wild Atlantic Way tourist route spans much of the West Cork coast, including the
Old Head of Kinsale,
Dursey Island and
Mizen Head.
Gallery
File:View From The Hilltop at Lough Hyne - Ed Fitzgerald.jpg, Lough Hyne, outside Skibbereen
File:Mizen Head.JPG, Mizen Head, the most southwesterly point of Ireland
File:Altar wedge tomb2.jpg, Altar Wedge Tomb, (c. 3000–2000 BC), Toormore Bay, outside Schull
File:County Cork - Drombeg stone circle - 20150328102444.jpg, Drombeg stone circle, near Glandore. Active c. 1100 - 800 BC
File:Gougane Barra Church - geograph.org.uk - 1532599.jpg, Gougane Barra, 6th century Christian monastery site near the source of the River Lee
File:Timoleague Friary.jpg, Timoleague Friary, founded in the 13th century
File:Ilnacullin garden.jpg, Garden on Garnish Island
Garinish[Garinish/Garinis](_blank)
Placenames Database of Ireland. or Garnish Island () (also k ...
File:Colourful premises, Kinsale - Town Plots Townland - geograph.org.uk - 1981344.jpg, Street in Kinsale
References
Notes
Sources
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{{coord, 51.6884, N, 9.1434, W, source:wikidata, display=title
Geography of County Cork
Tourist attractions in County Cork