I WAS gratified to hear that my grandson and his girlfriend, visiting our West Cork home from the UK, were fortunate enough to witness spectacular whale behaviour when they went on a whale watch trip with Colin Barnes from Reen Pier, near Castletownshend.

In day four of our special report on rural Ireland we visit Ballydehob, Co. Cork.

In day four of our special report on rural Ireland we visit Ballydehob, Co. Cork. From Danno to fests, this village has history, writes Michael Clifford

The sun comes out, and the butterflies follow. Few and far between, we saw only three on a 6km walk, two small heaths and a solitary speckled wood spiralling about under some beeches.

 

OUR grandmother’s liking for carrageen moss was looked upon as a sort of an oddity, says Donal Hickey.

The Coast Guard helicopter and Baltimore Lifeboat have helped to medically evacuate a man from onboard a fishing vessel in Roaring Water Bay, off the coast of Cork.

There have been many weather-related drownings off the south-west coast since what’s regarded as the worst in 1847 claimed the lives of 92 of the 110 passengers and crew onboard the Stephen Whitney.

The three sailors in their 60s and 70s were clinging to the side of their boat when they saw an island come into view.

The 66-year-old British man who died when his 5.5m yacht capsized off the West Cork coast kept a holiday home and mooring in the wider Schull area.

It is believed a man in his 60s who died when an 18ft yacht capsized off the West Cork coast this morning was living in the wider Schull area.

A man missing from a yacht which capsized off west Cork has been found drowned.

A body has been found by a lifeboat crew searching for the missing man off the Cork coast.

The body of a man aged in his 60s has been recovered from the sea off the West Cork coast today.

SKIBBEREEN/BALTIMORE: LOUGH HYNE

Size: Sq m 121 (1,300 sq ft)

EVEN if the neighbour at Kilcoe doesn’t come out of his castle keep to buy Mannin Island, estate agent Eoin Ryan of DTZ Sherry FitzGerald has other irons in the fire when it come to this Roaring Water Bay property offer.

Offering everything from pet pigs to weird sculptures and even boat trips, the gardens of West Cork are full of unexpected treasures — and some of the best open their gates to visitors later this month as part of the 2014 West Cork Garden Trail.

IN Maine, on the western shores of the Atlantic, daffodils were blooming with the same enthusiasm as on our eastern shores a month ago.

HEIR Island in Roaring Water Bay is a magical place.

A 100-year-old Galway hooker and a Cornish fishing lugger which sailed to the Antarctic and back before being restored in West Cork are among the stars of the colourful Baltimore Wooden Boat Festival, which begins on Friday.

Piracy, prostitution and the pub trade were rife in the South-West in the 16th century when the area from Roaring Water Bay in West Cork and as far as Dingle in Co Kerry was a haven for swashbuckling pirates and bustling local trade.

MY visit to the National Aquarium of Ireland, the Galway Atlantaquaria, in October was enlightening and memorable.

FLYING over Cork and beyond for the past 40 years, private pilot Pat Punch has seen not only the landscape beneath him change dramatically but the aviation industry too.

COUNTRY life with stables, space and scenic views are on offer at a renovated farmhouse at Reenmurragha near Skibbereen.

West Cork’s many attractions await discerning buyers, and there are signs overseas buyers are returning to the market, writes Trish Dromey.

IT would seem a small thing to be concerned about, with the country in the state it’s in, but a beautiful butterfly which has been peacefully sleeping in my workroom for two months has suddenly woken up and now, on this bright, frosty morning, is beating its wings against my window, wanting to get out.

AN UNUSUAL harvest in west Cork this winter could help to deliver a multi-million euro industry.

THE Sunday spin for us Cork folk frequently includes the west of the county, particularly when we have visitors we wish to show around.

A PRIME Dublin 4 address and some redbrick charm are on offer at an attractive two-bed house at 13 Dodder View Cottages in Ballsbridge.

ALTHOUGH this traditional farmhouse at Church Cross, Skibbereen, has a rural location, it’s also close to Roaring Water Bay and within a short commute of Skibbereen.