A Famine Village

The site of the pre-Famine ‘Village of Meenies’, to the north-west of Drimoleague village, is now commemorated by a plaque erected by the Drimoleague Community Association. Researched and compiled by staff at Skibbereen Heritage Centre, this panel tells the story of a local community ravaged by the horrors of the Great Famine. Meenies was not […]

The Provincial Bank & the Great Famine

This building was once the site of the Provincial Bank of Ireland and its manager in the 1840s, JW Clerke, was very active in Famine relief as was his father before him, Dr St John Clerke, a medical doctor during the 1822 famine in Skibbereen. JW Clerke was a the treasurer of the Skibbereen Committee […]

First Land Survey of Ireland

The 17th century was an extremely turbulent time in Ireland. Post the Battle of Kinsale in 1601, resentment festered amongst the Gaelic Irish until a rebellion followed in 1641. The infamous witness statements of the Protestant settlers, the 1641 Depositions, recorded massacres and outrages against them by their native neighbours over the following year. Thousands […]

St Mary’s Graveyard Caheragh

St Mary’s Church of Ireland church and graveyard is situated just before the village of Caheragh as you drive from Skibbereen in Caheragh on the R594. The church was built in 1829 at a cost of £650 with a loan from the Board of First Fruits, which was repaid in full by 1832. It has […]

Caheragh Old Graveyard

(Watch a video tour of this graveyard) The old Caheragh Graveyard is adjacent to the River Ilen and an ancient monastic site – ‘Blessed Mary de Caheragh’ – which was once situated on the hilltop overlooking the graveyard. It is likely that the graveyard was initially used as a burial ground for the nearby monastic […]